A Minnesota agency is cracking down on providers billing Medicaid for some autism and housing services.

Starting on June 1, the Minnesota Department of Human Services will require the providers to undergo enhanced fingerprint background studies, participate in screening visits before Medicaid enrollment and when enrollment is revalidated, and allow state officials to make unannounced site visits.

The federal government sets three levels of screening for providers — limited, moderate and high risk. The state agency says these new requirements are a result of the state moving the level of screening for providers who bill Medicaid for housing stabilization services and behavioral intervention autism services to high risk. 

“It’s clear that these critical services need more oversight,” Shrieen Gandhi, the temporary Human Services Commissioner, said in a written release on Friday. “Moving these providers into the high-risk category is only the first step. We need more staff to put eyes on these programs and make sure everyone is safeguarding resources meant to help children, people with disabilities and older Minnesotans.”  

Gandhi decided to increase screening requirements in March. Providers were given a 30-day notice this week, officials say.

New providers need to comply with the requirements by June 1, the agency says, and existing providers will be phased into the new requirements when they renew their Medicaid enrollment. 

In December 2024, the FBI and state investigators raided autism treatment centers in Minneapolis and St. Cloud. According to the search warrant, the probe was a direct outgrowth of the investigation into the $240 million Feeding Our Future scandal. 

The agency said last summer that 15 Minnesota autism centers were under investigation for fraud.

Anyone who suspects fraud or abuse of Medicaid funds is encouraged to call Minnesota’s Department of Human Sevices at 651-431-2650 or submit a tip here.

Note: The above video first aired on Dec. 12, 2024.