DOJ Announces Increases to FCA Penalties Due to Inflationary Adjustments
On January 30, 2023, the Department of Justice published new inflationary adjustments to the False Claims Act’s civil monetary penalties. Under the Balanced Budget Act of 2015, inflationary adjustments are based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index and are required to occur annually by January 15. However, this most recent increase takes effect only eight months after the last adjustment. Since December 2021, CMP inflationary increases have occurred more frequently than in years prior, as DOJ likely tries to capitalize on the rising inflation rates to secure higher penalties. The revised penalties will be assessed for violations that occurred prior to the adjustment, but that are assessed after January 30, 2023. As of January 30, 2023, the minimum False Claims Act penalty increased from $12,537 to $13,508 per claim. The maximum penalty has increased from $25,076 to $27,018 per claim (see here).
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