As interest in bad actors and fraudulent activities in hospice intensifies, the House of Representatives’ Committee on Oversight and Government Reform expressed concerns regarding the growth of fraudulent hospice agencies in California and, in a March 23, 2026 letter to Governor Gavin Newsom, requested documents and communications “regarding California’s oversight and internal controls to detect and prevent fraud for its federally funded hospice programs.”
Chaired by James Comer (R-KY), the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has the authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X. In the March 23 letter, authors say its investigation into Minnesota’s federally funded social services programs uncovered widespread failures by state agencies to conduct oversight, as well as a lack of internal controls to detect and prevent fraud, and say that the fraudulent hospice schemes in California ‘appear similar’ to those used by criminals in Minnesota.
The Committee asked for information covering the time period of January 1, 2019 to present with the deadline of April 6, 2026. The following information was requested:
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All documents and communications among or between the Governor’s office and the Department of Health Care Services covering California’s Medicare Part A hospice programs and Medi-Cal hospice programs, including but not limited to enrollment and verification, licensure and certification, complaints against licensed hospice agencies, investigations, reimbursement requests, audit documentation, audit reports, payment reviews, and regulations that establish the process for verifying the identity and qualifications of hospice agency management personnel;
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All documents and communications among or between the Governor’s office and the Department of Public Health covering California’s Medicare Part A hospice programs and Medi-Cal hospice programs, including but not limited to enrollment and verification, licensure and certification, complaints against licensed hospice agencies, investigations, reimbursement requests, audit documentation, audit reports, payment reviews, and regulations that establish the process for verifying the identity and qualifications of hospice agency management personnel;
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All documents and communications among or between the Governor’s office and the Department of Social Services covering California’s Medicare Part A hospice programs and Medi-Cal hospice programs, including but not limited to enrollment and verification, licensure and certification, complaints against licensed hospice agencies, investigations, reimbursement requests, audit documentation, audit reports, payment reviews, and regulations that establish the process for verifying the identity and qualifications of hospice agency management personnel;
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All documents and communications between the Governor’s office and the California Department of Justice’s Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse (DMFEA) covering California’s Medicare Part A and Medi-Cal hospice programs including but not limited to the number of complaints received about hospice agencies, the number of investigations opened into hospice agencies for provider fraud, as well as abuse or neglect of patients in facilities receiving federal funds, reports about those investigations, the number of prosecutions against hospice providers and audits showing improper billing or fraud.
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