Valerie Nitti, a former 26-year employee of the Tioga County Department of Social Services, where she held the position of Director of Employment and Transitional Supports, was charged with allegedly forging a Medicaid application in 2013, which is considered a felony.
According to documented court reports as well as correspondence provided by Valerie Nitti’s attorney, Ronald Benjamin, the charge against Valerie Nitti stemmed from her alleged submission of a Medicaid application for another person, a friend, in October 2013, and then forging that friend’s signature.
Benjamin had explained in October 2013 that Valerie Nitti was placed on administrative leave and described her as a committed employee of the Tioga County Department of Social Services.
Nitti was charged by State Police on Nov. 1, 2013 with first-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, which is a felony, and Tioga County officials charged Nitti with abuse of her duties, under state civil service law.
A disciplinary hearing followed on Dec. 20, 2013, whereby a hearing officer found Nitti guilty of certain claims involved with the case and also whereby other claims were dismissed.
A hearing at the state level was held Nov. 12, 2015 in the grand jury room of the Tioga County Courthouse with Sixth District Administrative Judge, the Honorable Judith F. O’Shea presiding.
Judge O’Shea will be reviewing the case further and expects to offer a decision by the end of December 2015.
Benjamin stated after the Nov. 12 hearing that he feels the decision will ultimately be in Nitti’s favor. “She did nothing wrong,” Benjamin said, “There was no misconduct.”
