Cuomo Nominates Cox For Top Post

Nominee Tapped as New York State Medicaid Inspector General

Governor Andrew Cuomo has nominated James C. Cox to serve as the New York State Medicaid Inspector General.

"Jim Cox is exactly who we need to serve as the New York State Medicaid Inspector General," Governor Cuomo said.

"He is an exemplary professional with an impeccable public service record and extensive knowledge of health and human services. In addition, his experience with the auditing process will help create a more efficient and cost effective system that will monitor the delivery of crucial services across the state. I look forward to working with Jim as we continue to put the needs of New Yorkers first."

For 23 years, Cox has worked in the U.S. Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General's Office of Audit Services. He served most recently as Regional Inspector General for Region V, which consists of six Midwestern states.

In this role, he coordinated national and regional audits for Medicare and Medicaid, and helped create a joint Department of Justice and Health and Human Services task force to combat waste, fraud and abuse in government programs.

Previously, Cox was Supervisory Auditor for Region II, responsible for three field offices; Puerto Rico, New York City, and Albany. He organized joint efforts between Federal and State law enforcement and auditing agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigations, New York State Office of the Comptroller, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

He also served as National Audit Manager, during which nine audit reports were issued resulting in disallowances totaling $35 million. Prior, he was a Senior Auditor in the Albany Field Office.

Cox received his B.A. from Russell Sage College in 1988. He was a recipient of the Association of Governmental Accountant's (AGA) National President's Award and was named AGA's Financial Manager of the Year.

He has served as Chapter President of the AGA, during which the New York Capital Chapter received many awards including the national Chapter Education award.

Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said, "Jim Cox has been a valuable member of our senior management team for more than two decades. Although we'll miss Jim's steady hand as our Regional Inspector General for Audit Services in Chicago, we look forward to continuing our collaboration in his important new role as New York's Medicaid Inspector General. We know he'll serve the state with distinction."

Richard Fair, who was the New Jersey State auditor for eighteen years and is now on the faculty of Rutgers University stated, "Jim Cox is an extremely qualified auditor. He is dedicated to the profession and stays current with new audit approaches and techniques. He is well respected by his staff as well as his peers. He is, in my mind, a true professional and I highly recommend him for the position of New York Medicaid Inspector General."

Established pursuant to Chapter 442 of the Laws of 2006, the Office of Medicaid Inspector General is an independent agency within the Department of Health. The OMIG's mission is to improve the efficiency and accountability of the New York State Medicaid program by preventing and detecting fraudulent, wasteful and abusive practices.

The OMIG coordinates the fraud, waste and abuse control activities of all state executive branch agencies and works in conjunction with law enforcement agencies, including the New York State Attorney General's Fraud Control Unit.