Texas taxpayers spent $2.3 million to spin veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder in a chair for a research study that wasn't valid and may have put the vets at risk, according to an audit.
The review, by the inspector general of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, was highly critical of the contract with an Irving health clinic called Carrick Brain Centers. It has since been renamed to Cerebrum Health Centers.
The contract was the focus of an investigation by NBC 5 and The Dallas Morning News last year.
The audit found the agency failed to properly oversee the contract, that the clinic billed for services it did not provide and "put the health and safety of participants at risk" by doing human research without scientific safeguards.
The agency is asking the company to refund $278,000 for items that it said were clearly in violation of the contract, including billing for patients who were not from Texas.
In a statement, Cerebrum president Jimmy Matthews noted the audit found no evidence of fraud.
"Our success and reputation with veterans speaks for itself and we remain committed to care for those who have served our nation," he said.
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For a full report on the audit, read more from NBC 5's media partners at The Dallas Morning News.
