Illinois

One of the many responsibilities of being a parent includes being a protector. A lot of effort is put forth to warn children of strangers, but what happens when it’s the parent that is the problem? Melissa D. Wasylak, 49, of East Alton, Ill.,...

Katrina Pierce, a South Side Chicago woman, could very well fall into the “stealing as a full-time occupation” category. She has been charged for obtaining dozens of death certificates for young Chicago murder victims, posing as their relative. Pierce purportedly used the stolen identities...

Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers are responsible for a considerable part of healthcare fraud, including overbilling or billing insurance for services that are never provided. (Isn’t it ironic and sad that the people whom the public trusts to help them stay healthy are...

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered our daily routines, kept us distanced from friends, family and community, and increased anxiety in many lives. However, individuals who have pets enjoy the company they provide and tend to report lower levels of anxiety and stress, especially during...

Getting old is definitely not for sissies. Some old age issues include aches and pains, memory loss, and mobility issues, not to mention incontinence (which impacts about 13 million Americans). Depending on needs and eligibility, Medicaid in the State of Illinois pays for a range...

Medical advancements in recent decades have contributed to Americans living longer. The U.S. Census Bureau states that the number of people age 65 and older in the United States is just about 15 percent, increasing by 1.6 million people since 2014. (This correlates with...

The Home Services Program under the Illinois Department of Human Services provides in-home personal care services to individuals who are severely disabled. The program, which aims to keep people as independent as possible, offers numerous service options including personal assistants (PA), maintenance home health...

Fraudsters are in business to make as much money as quickly as possible. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that they would submit claims to a government health care program undercharging for services. The owners of a non-emergency medical transport company went over and above...

Medicaid pays for non-emergency ambulance transportation costs as long as a doctor provides a statement justifying the need for the service. (Medicaid beneficiaries are eligible for this service if they don't have a working vehicle or a driver's license; have a mental or physical...

As the 2016 individual tax season begins, we must be ever vigilant in protecting that most sensitive of information – taxpayers' PII. As a 2014 Pew Research Center study clearly demonstrates, Americans have real concerns about the institutional security of their personal information. As...