Former Rehab Provider Sentenced For Fraud

(HOUSTON) - James Earl Dunn Jr., 39, former owner and operator of Rehab Specialist Inc. (RSI), has been sentenced to 33 months confinement in federal prison by United States District Judge Lee Rosenthal for submitting more than $300,000 in fraudulent claims against the government, United States Attorney Tim Johnson announced today. The sentence was handed down late yesterday evening.

Dunn received contracts from the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), formerly known as the Texas Rehabilitation Commission, from funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Education, to provide vocational rehabilitation training to individuals with mental and physical disabilities.
Indicted in May 2007, Dunn pleaded guilty Aug. 12, 2008, to one count of submitting fraudulent claims against the government acknowledging in his plea agreement that during the years 2001 to 2003 he had fraudulently obtained federal vocational rehabilitation funds through DARS by claiming that he was providing employment training and coaching to clients with disabilities when, in fact, the clients were not receiving such training.

"Dunn knowingly and willfully abused his position of trust to steal funds that were supposed to be used to provide needed education and vocational rehabilitation to disabled adults. That is unacceptable,” said Mary Mitchelson, acting Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education. “I’m proud of the work of Office of Inspector General Special Agents, the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services and the U.S. Attorney's Office for holding this man accountable for his fraudulent actions.”
Dunn, who has been on bond, has been permitted to remain on bond pending the issuance by the court of an order to surrender to a Bureau of Prisons facility to be designated in the near future.

The investigation was conducted by special agents with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General and the DARS Investigations Unit. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Quincy L. Ollison.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ANGELA DODGE FRIDAY, SEPT. 4, 2009 PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/TXS (713) 567-9388

August 2009 Disability Employment Statistics Released

August 2009 Disability Employment Statistics Released:
According to the Office of Disability Employment Policy in the United States Department of Labor, in August 2009, the percentage of people with disabilities in the labor force was 22.2 compared with 71.2 for persons with no disability. The unemployment rate for those with disabilities was 16.9 percent, compared with 9.3 percent for persons with no disability, not seasonally adjusted.

"2010 Changes to Medicare" Event

Beginning January 1, 2010, changes in the law will make it easier for some people to qualify for Extra Help with their Medicare prescription drug plan costs. Under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act:

SSA will no longer count as a resource any life insurance policy; and
SSA will no longer count as income the help a person receives regularly from someone else to pay for household expenses.

Want to know more? You’re invited to participate in Social Security’s national webinar – "2010 Changes to Medicare Extra Help". Join Social Security for a discussion about these important changes. We also ask that you share the information about the webinar with your members, colleagues, and other interested parties.

The webinar will be hosted via http://www.socialsecurity.gov/prescriptionhelp/webinarmedicare.htm on September 15, 2009 at 2 pm EDT. To RSVP for the webinar, please visit http://www.ssa.gov/survey/mipparsvpsurvey.htm
I hope that you will join us and I look forward to the opportunity to discuss the changes with you. Sincerely, Cheri Arnott Parlaman Associate Commissioner for External Affairs