RANDOLPH — A 42-year-old Randolph woman pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge for defrauding Vermont Medicaid by submitting false claims.
Laura Paige submitted false time sheets and false travel reimbursements to Vermont Medicaid while working as a caregiver for an Upper Valley nonprofit, according to a news release from the Vermont Attorney General’s office.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Timothy Tomasi deferred Paige’s sentencing for two years, during which time she will be under supervised probation, the release said.
Tomasi also ordered Paige to repay $18,000 in restitution, do 24 hours of community service and complete a restorative justice program, according to the release.
Under the plea deal, Paige agreed not to provide any future Medicaid services, the release said.
Paige initially faced two counts of felony Medicaid fraud, the Valley News reported in June.
She formerly worked for Upper Valley Services, a White River Junction-based nonprofit that provides services to people with developmental disabilities.
In March, a whistleblower alerted Vermont State Police investigators that Paige had been submitting the false bills, the news release said.
After examining Paige’s billing and other data from 2023 onward, the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit confirmed that she “had defrauded Vermont Medicaid for payment for services not rendered and false travel reimbursements during that time,” the release said.
About 150,000 Vermonters rely on the state’s Medicaid program as their primary health coverage, and another 46,000 use the $2.3 billion program for partial coverage, according to a report from the Vermont Legislative Joint Fiscal Office.
Reports of suspected Medicaid fraud can be submitted to the Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit at https://ago.vermont.gov/medicaid-fraud-report-form/.