FRESNO – Fresno’s Acuworld Health Clinic acupuncturist Young Sam Kim has “agreed” to pay the United States $850,000 to resolve allegations that he violated the False Claims Act by fraudulently billing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for health care services that were not provided.
Kim provided care to a number of veterans through federal programs funded by the Department of VA, Veterans Health Administration. Between 2016 and 2020, Kim submitted claims for payments to the VA for acupuncture services that were significantly overstated, including instances that totaled more than 24 hours in a single day, according to an Aug. 26 announcement by U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert.
“The exploitation of federal health care programs designed to help veterans is inexcusable,” said Talbert. “We will continue to hold accountable those who defraud such programs for personal gain.”
The resolution was made possible by an investigation conducted by the Department of VA Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen M. Kennedy handled this matter for the United States.
“The Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA OIG) is committed to ensuring veterans receive the quality health care they deserve, and we will continue to work to make certain that (VA) health care services are not compromised by fraudulent billing practices,” said Special Agent in Charge Dimitriana Nikolov with the Department of VA Office of Inspector General’s Northwest Field Office. “The (VA OIG) thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their efforts in this investigation.”
