University of Florida Agrees to Pay $19.875 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations | WPN World People News

The University of Florida (UF) has agreed to pay the United States $19.875 million to settle allegations that the university improperly charged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for salary and administrative costs on hundreds of federal grants, the Department of Justice announced on November 20. The grants in question were administered from the UF campuses in Gainesville and Jacksonville, Florida.

“The monies utilized by HHS to fund important medical research and clinical programs across the nation are both precious and limited,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s settlement demonstrates that the Department of Justice will pursue grantees that knowingly divert those funds from the projects for which they were provided.”

“As the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awards more grant dollars than any other government agency, prudent oversight of those funds is absolutely essential,” said HHS Regional Inspector General for Audit Lori S. Pilcher. “Grantees must have internal controls promoting accountability and transparency,” she said. “Taxpayers should expect nothing less.”

The University of Florida receives millions of dollars in grant funding from HHS on hundreds of grants each year. The settlement announced on Friday resolves the alleged misuse of grant funds awarded by HHS to UF between 2005 and December 2010. The United States contended that the university overcharged hundreds of grants for the salary costs of its employees, where it did not have documentation to support the level of effort claimed on the grants for those employees. The government also contended that UF charged some of these grants for administrative costs for equipment and supplies when those items should not have been directly charged to the grants under federal regulations. Lastly, UF allegedly inflated costs charged to HHS grants awarded at its Jacksonville campus for services performed by an affiliated entity, Jacksonville Healthcare Inc.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice