QUEENS, NY - Independent journalist Nick Shirley is pushing for answers over a Flushing adult day care operation that reportedly received nearly $13 million in taxpayer-funded payments and thousands of patients.
Shirley wants city and state leaders to answer questions on whether public money was properly used, how the payments were approved and what oversight existed for a provider serving a large number of people, WABC Radio reported. The issue has drawn attention because adult day care and health-related programs can involve complicated billing, vulnerable clients and large government reimbursements.
According to the claims drawing scrutiny, neither Mayor Zohran Mamdani nor Governor Kathy Hochul has publicly answered the allegations. That silence is becoming part of the story for critics who say taxpayers deserve to know whether the spending was appropriate.
Shirley visited several adult day care centers in Queens and observed locations that appeared largely empty despite records allegedly indicating high enrollment and significant Medicaid reimbursements, according to Fox News. He described the facilities as having little visible activity and that it was difficult to locate staff or administrators to ask them questions.
When Shirley spoke with individuals at the facilities, they allegedly could not explain how the centers operated. Shirley argues that these observations raise questions about whether the reported services match what investigators observed during their visits.
Critics allege that some adult day care centers may be using incentives to recruit or retain clients. Examples of these incentives include cash, gift cards, free meals, transportation, or other benefits in exchange for remaining enrolled in programs whose operators can then bill Medicaid. Shirley and others characterize these practices as potential "kickback" schemes that encourage enrollment regardless of whether meaningful services are actually provided.
These are presented as allegations rather than adjudicated findings, and no finding of wrongdoing has been established. Shirley states that exposing fraud is not about targeting any particular community, but about ensuring accountability wherever taxpayer dollars are involved.
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