New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
By Alison Kuznitz
State House News Service
Investigators in Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s office discovered nearly $2.9 million worth of public benefits fraud from October through December, with the vast majority of money linked to MassHealth.
The Bureau of Special Investigations detected fraud in 96 out of the 1,451 cases it examined in the second quarter of fiscal year 2024, according to a report recently filed with the Legislature.
Investigators found $2,083,270.85 in MassHealth fraud; $692,581.50 in SNAP fraud; $74,195.05 in fraud tied to the Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children program; $7,909.33 in fraud connected to the Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children program; and $796.95 in fraud linked to the Personal Care Attendant Program.
The bureau also recovered $228,185.97 through restitution settlements, DiZoglio’s office said.
“The work of BSI fraud examiners ensures taxpayer dollars used to fund Massachusetts’ public benefits programs are managed effectively so that programs are available to residents who truly need them,” the report stated. “As a result of BSI’s investigations, public assistance fraud cases are referred to agencies for administrative action, fraudulent overpayments are recovered through civil agreements, individuals are disqualified from programs for specified periods of time, and cases are prosecuted in state and federal courts.”
In fiscal year 2023, investigators identified more than $12.3 million in public benefits fraud.
