State Officials Identify $6 Million in Public Benefit Fraud

HYANNIS – State Auditor Suzanne Bump recently announced her office’s Bureau of Special Investigations’ (BSI) findings for public benefits fraud for Fiscal Year 2021.

BSI identified $6,139,720 in public assistance fraud for the last fiscal year. The state auditor commented on the importance of the discoveries.

“While fraud represents a small portion of total public assistance spending, it has a disproportionate negative impact on public trust in these programs,” Bump said.

According to officials, BSI completed 3,404 total investigations over the course of the fiscal year and 479 of those identified fraud.

The chart below depicts the different benefit sectors where fraud occurred in Fiscal Year 2021. Over 50% of identified fraud dollars were related to MassHealth.

“At a time when more people are relying on this assistance because of economic hardships, my office remains committed to ensuring these programs are run with integrity,” Bump said.

By Brian Engles, CapeCod.com NewsCenter

About CapeCod.com NewsCenter

The award-winning CapeCod.com NewsCenter provides the Cape Cod community with a constant, credible source for local news. We are on the job seven days a week.



CapeCod.com
737 West Main Street
Hyannis, MA 02601
Contact Us | Advertise Terms of Use 
Employment and EEO | Privacy