Putting Patients First By Strengthening Provider Accountability in Feca Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8823) to amend the Federal Employees Compensation Act to allow the Secretary of Labor to suspend payments to medical providers who have been convicted of fraud, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 8823

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Putting Patients First by Strengthening Provider Accountability in FECA Act''. SEC. 2. FRAUD CONVICTIONS.

(a) In General.--Section 8103 of title 5, United States Code, is amended--

(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``These expenses'' and inserting ``Subject to subsection (c), these expenses'';

(2) in subsection (b), by striking ``The Secretary, under'' and inserting ``Subject to subsection (c), the Secretary, under''; and

(3) by adding at the end the following:

``(c)(1) The Secretary of Labor may suspend payments to a provider of services, appliances, or supplies furnished pursuant to subsection (a), or vouchers or certifications described in subsection (b) for the expenses incurred by the employing agency with respect to such a provider, if the provider has been convicted of fraud with respect to--

``(A) this subchapter;

``(B) any Federal health care benefit program (as defined in section 24 of title 18, United States Code); or

``(C) any State program for which payments are made to providers for services, appliances, or supplies similar to such services, appliances, or supplies provided pursuant to this subchapter.

``(2) The Secretary shall promulgate regulations to carry out this subsection.''.

(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this Act shall apply with respect to payments made to a provider of services, appliances, or supplies on or after the date that is 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act.

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Mr. WALBERG. 8823.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 8823, bipartisan legislation that protects both taxpayers and the Federal employees who rely on the Federal Employees' Compensation Act, when they are injured on the job.

Federal workers who are navigating an injury deserve timely, honest, and compassionate care, not to become the target of fraud. Programs like FECA exist to ensure these workers receive the medical treatment and support they need to recover.

Unfortunately, some bad actors have exploited that trust. Instead of following through on the responsibility to care for injured workers, certain medical providers have treated FECA like a personal ATM: submitting fraudulent claims, abusing the system, and enriching themselves at the expense of both taxpayers and the very people they were entrusted to help.

The Office of Inspector General recently testified before Congress that since 2015, it has opened more than 320 criminal investigations involving the FECA program. These investigations have resulted in the indictment and conviction of 322 individuals and more than $1.7 billion in recovered funds.

This is unacceptable. Every fraudulent claim weakens the program that countless injured Federal employees depend on. Every act of deception undermines confidence in a system that exists to support workers during a difficult moment in their lives.

H.R. 8823 delivers a straightforward, commonsense solution. It codifies existing Department of Labor policy to prevent medical providers who are convicted of defrauding FECA from continuing to receive taxpayer-funded payments through the program. If someone has been found guilty of exploiting injured workers and stealing public funds, they should not continue to profit from the very program they abused.

This legislation sends a clear message, Mr. Speaker: If you cheat taxpayers, exploit injured workers, and abuse the public trust, there will be consequences.

Fraud should have no place in our workers' compensation system. Ambulance-chasing schemes and dishonest providers have taken advantage of this program for far too long. Today, we have the opportunity to put an end to that abuse and reaffirm that these funds are meant to serve injured workers, not line the pockets of fraudsters.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 8823 and tell these scammers that their payday is over.

Mr. Speaker, families across the Nation carefully budget every dollar they earn to provide for themselves and their loved ones. When they send their tax dollars to Washington, they deserve to know that their hard-earned money is being managed with the same discipline and responsibility.

The American people expect us to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. They work hard, pay their taxes, and deserve to know that those funds are not lining the pockets of fraudsters who exploit the system for personal gain.

Fraud is never a victimless crime. It steals taxpayer dollars and diverts funds away from those they are intended to serve. Every dollar lost to fraud is a dollar that cannot be used to provide legitimate care for injured workers or fulfill commitments we have made to them.

Congress has a responsibility to protect both the integrity of our programs and the taxpayers who fund them. That means ensuring there are real consequences for those who abuse the public's trust and preventing them from continuing to do so. It also means taking commonsense steps to strengthen accountability and safeguard the programs that millions rely upon.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 8823 does exactly that. It helps ensure that providers who have been convicted of defrauding the Federal Employees' Compensation Act program cannot continue to be allowed to profit from the very program they exploited.

This is a straightforward measure that protects taxpayers, strengthens accountability, and preserves the integrity of an important program for injured Federal workers.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, stand up for responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and vote ``yes'' on H.R. 8823.

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Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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