South Carolina’s inspector general says he is launching an investigation into whether disabled residents are being overcharged for their care.
Patrick Maley told The Associated Press on Tuesday he has no timeline on his investigation but aims to report his findings as soon as possible for the sake of potential victims.
His inquiry comes after a former commissioner for the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs went public with allegations that several of the agency’s providers were incorrectly charging disabled clients for rent in group homes. Deborah McPherson says providers are not properly crediting federal housing subsidies to clients’ accounts.
Special Needs spokeswoman Lois Park Mole says the agency is hiring an outside accounting firm to review local disability boards’ billing. She says residents will be reimbursed for any overpayments.