A Merrifield-based hospice care service will pay millions to settle allegations that it submitted incorrect claims to Medicare.
Capital Caring has agreed to pay $3.1 million to “settle allegations that it caused the government to overpay the organization as a result of billings it submitted to the Medicare Program for hospice services,” according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Headquartered at 2900 Telestar Court, Capital Caring provides advanced home care and hospice services in the D.C. area.
More from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia:
The overpayments were the result of claims Capital Caring submitted to Medicare for hospice services for patients who the government alleged either did not meet the hospice eligibility guidelines for the Medicare Program, Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, or for whom the hospice clinical record information maintained by Capital Caring was insufficient to support Medicare hospice coverage.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia worked with the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General on the civil matter.
Photo by Joe Gratz/Flickr
School is back in session, and a local McDonald’s is hosting a fundraiser for public education.
The McDonald’s at 3009 Galls Road is donating 5% of their profits to charity now until Friday (Sept. 13). Each day — with the exception of the weekend and Monday — the proceeds will benefit a different school in the area.
The store will also offer students free ice cream cones from 3-5 p.m.
Community members can come to support specific schools on the days shown below.
- Wednesday (Sept. 4) — Camelot Elementary School
- Thursday (Sept. 5) — Stenwood Elementary School
- Friday (Sept. 6) — Fairhill Elementary School
- Tuesday (Sept. 10) — Pine Spring Elementary School
- Wednesday (Sept. 11) — Woodburn Elementary School
- Thursday (Sept. 12) — Jackson Middle School
- Friday (Sept. 13) — Falls Church High School
“As owners of the restaurant and members of the community, we wish to honor the schools in our market area to celebrate,” a press release said, adding that the owner wants to use this event as an opportunity to celebrate the location’s recently remodeled building.
Photo via Moving Merrifield Forward
Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in McLean. Reach the office at 703-790-9090.
Pumpkin Spice is back, so that officially makes it fall, right? I know, I rolled my eyes too.
Despite the pumpkin spice craze, September does mean the beginning of my favorite time of year — Fall Festivals Around Northern Virginia. Whether you’re a family with children or a group of friends going out for some fun, you’ll find a little bit of everything.
Here’s a list of some favorites during the month of September. More to follow in October!
Cox Farms — Centreville, VA
September 14-15, September 21-November 5
Live music, cow milking, farm chores, hayride, tunnels, slides, swings, corn maze, goats, cider, donuts and their market! This is my favorite event all year and I actually hold my client appreciation event here in the fall. You really can’t beat a day in cooler weather walking around their farm!
Great County Farms — Bluemont, VA
September 30-October 31
Fall Pumpkin Harvest Festival featuring pick your own pumpkins (also apples), wagon rides, pig races, Dino shows, Marshmallow roasting, cider pressing, live music, 5-acre play area, donuts and their market. Adult pro tip: Bluemont Vineyard and Dirt Farm Brewing are across the street and the views can NOT be beat.
Falls Church Festival — Falls Church, VA
September 14
Held rain or shine from 10-4 p.m., this is also the “Taste of Falls Church” with a beer garden, live entertainment, pony rides, child amusements, local crafters and sales.
Merrifield Fall Festival — Fairfax, VA
September 28
Held from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., the event combines a farmers market, beer garden, live music, kids activities and more at Mosaic. This event also includes an appearance by the Vienna Singing Princesses!
Vienna Cops and Kids Fun Run — Vienna, VA
September 22
A kids fun run with the local town police. The event runs from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and includes many fun things after the race. Usually a police helicopter will land on the field next to Vienna Elementary, there’s a dunk-a-cop dunk tank, face painting, bounce house, music, obstacle course, food, police motorcycles and car tours.
Plants have been reported stolen around the Tysons area three times this month, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
The first report showed up in the Aug. 1 daily crime recap. Police said a cellphone and plant were stolen from a Falls Church home in the 2800 block of Bolling Road.
Several weeks passed and then the Tuesday (Aug. 27) recap said that plants were swiped from a Merrifield residence in the 8100 block of Lee Hwy.
The Wednesday (Aug. 28) recap said plants were taken from a McLean business in the 6800 block of Elm Street.
File photo
Playa Bowls is now serving up acai bowls, poke, smoothies and juice in the Mosaic District.
The health food eatery opened Saturday, Aug. 17, according to a Facebook post. Playa Bowls occupies 2910 District Avenue, Suite 168 — the former space for Capital Teas.
The menu offers a variety of bowls, including ones with acai, coconut and oatmeal bases, along with smoothies, juices and poke bowls.
Playa Bowls has more than 65 locations around the U.S., according to its Facebook page. The Mosaic District spot is the first Virginia location for the franchise.
Photo via Playa Bowls/Facebook
Crescendo Studios, a new music studio in Merrifield, plans to host a grand opening this Saturday (Aug. 24).
Located in the former MHz Studio at 8101 Lee Hwy, the studio offers private lessons, a band for kids ages 7 and up and camps focused on songwriting, bands and sound engineering.
The celebration will include food trucks, a free yoga class from 11 a.m.-noon and performances by the Fuzion de Ritmos Dance Company and Take the Cake Music.
The grand opening will run from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
The education-oriented music studio is also looking to use a currently empty space adjacent to the studio’s existing location to offer an expanded music program.
Photo via Crescendo Studios/Facebook
After 27 years of service in the U.S. Military, Vienna resident Timothy Redmond decided to share his experiences in an autobiography.
“As You Were” is a novel about Redmond’s personal life experience after 9/11 and the time he served on duty in Afghanistan. Though the book came out in 2018, it continues to attract attention from readers as he tours local bookshops.
Before he even decided to write a novel, Redmond discovered his passion as a novelist during a creative writing workshop for retired combat veterans hosted by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
During the writing process, Redmond told Tysons Reporter he spent time processing traumatic events that happened to him and his close friends — including the death of a friend.
“It’s stressful to relive some of that,” he said.
He also said it took him a little extra time to write the book because he “wanted to get it right” and respect the people he served with through remembrance. Redmond mentioned that several members in his former unit read the book and gave positive feedback.
From the description of the book on Amazon:
A freshly-minted prosecutor with the Brooklyn DA’s Office, Tim Redmond thought he’d left his life as a Green Beret behind as he pulled into the World Trade Center train station on the morning of 9/11. Three months later he was back in Afghanistan with his old A-Team gearing up for the fight of their lives! Follow this team of Special Forces on their raucous and heroic journey through the unimaginable horrors of war and their unique struggle to return to a home they can no longer make sense of.
Redmond shared his book with the community on Aug. 4, when he set up a table at the new Barnes & Noble in the Mosaic District. He signed autographs and bonded with community members from around the region.
Looking forward to the future, Redmond, who works at a local law firm in Tysons, said that he and his publicist are in the process of scheduling similar events in Tysons.
Photo courtesy Tim Redmond
A new convenience store may soon open in Merrifield.
The Bodega will move into a space at 2730 Gallows Road near the Dunn Loring Metro station.
It is unclear when the business will open, but the owner recently placed a banner outside the shop announcing the new location saying the bodega is “coming soon.”
A pending liquor license application indicates that the shop wants to sell beer and wine.
Tysons Reporter reached out to but did not hear back from the owner.
Catherine Douglas Moran contributed to this story.
A new chicken-focused restaurant plans to open just a short walk away from the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station.
Building permits indicate that GAMA Chicken & BBQ is coming to 2727 Merrilee Drive, Suite G.
The eatery is looking to serve wine, beer and mixed beverages, according to the liquor license application in the window of the spot.
The restaurant will join a plethora of restaurants and retailers, like Lost Dog Cafe and Blackfinn Ameripub, on the ground floor of apartment buildings right by the Metro station.
Work planned for four Metro stations next summer will impact riders in Vienna, Merrifield and Falls Church.
The Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church and East Falls Church Metro stations on the Orange Line are slated to be affected next summer, along with four Green Line stations in Maryland. The work is a part of a multi-year project to reconstruct 20 station platforms.
Currently, Metro shut down Yellow and Blue lines south of Ronald Reagan National Airport this summer.
While that reconstruction plan was announced more than a year ago, more details on the Orange Line shutdown are set to get announced in September or October, WTOP reported.
“It is unclear how much of the work will be done with total shutdowns, and how much could involve single-tracking,” WTOP reported.
Until the plans are announced, let Tysons Reporter know in the comments if the Metro work next summer will impact you.
