First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III announced that the Center for Disability Services Holding Corporation, d/b/a St. Margaret’s Center (SMC), a skilled nursing facility located in Albany, New York, has agreed to pay $1,300,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by billing for care that was worthless and falsely attesting that it had implemented a compliance program that promoted quality care. This settlement resolves allegations that between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2023, SMC provided care that was grossly substandard and therefore worthless. During this time, New York State surveys, or inspections, revealed that SMC did not consistently provide sufficient nursing staff, ensure that residents were free of significant medication errors, or provide respiratory and tracheostomy care and suctioning. During one such survey the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) determined that SMC failed to adequately supervise three residents, jeopardizing their health or safety. NYSDOH placed SMC into “immediate jeopardy” status for over a month in 2022. Based on NYSDOH’s findings, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services placed SMC on its Special Focus Facility list which identifies nursing homes throughout the United States that have a history of serious quality issues.