WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 -- A former CVS employee named Hillary Estright started the whistleblower lawsuit that ended Tuesday with CVS agreeing to pay $315 million, and the Justice Department says what she will receive has not been decided.

The Justice Department said CVS Pharmacy Inc. and related companies will pay to resolve allegations that their pharmacies filled opioid and other controlled-substance prescriptions that had no legitimate medical purpose, then sought payment from federal health programs for many of them. The settlement covers October 17, 2013 through December 2, 2025. The department stressed that the claims are allegations only and that there has been no determination of liability.

The department alleges that pharmacists f...