Executive Summary of the BSI FY21 Annual Report

An overview of the activities of the Bureau of Special Investigations in Fiscal Year 2021.

Table of Contents

 

 

Overview

BSI continued to be impacted by COVID-19 throughout FY21.  The division experienced operational challenges both internally and externally with our partners and stakeholders, who were equally impacted by COVID-19, that led to less referrals, backlogs and delays in fraud calculations, and ultimately, less identified fraud when compared to other years.On June 15, 2021, the State of Emergency that Massachusetts Governor Charles Baker declared in response to the COVID-19 pandemic terminated. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of government work, including the work of BSI. Since March 2020, BSI staff members have continued to work primarily outside of their office locations in Boston, Chicopee, and Brockton. Although faced with unprecedented challenges, BSI continued its work by using technology and innovation. The fiscal year 2021 (FY21) Bureau of Special Investigations Annual Report summarizes BSI’s work and initiatives to execute the Office of the State Auditor’s mission to make government work better by investigating, under its statutory charge, fraud, abuse, and illegal acts involving public assistance benefits throughout the Commonwealth. During FY21, BSI continued to investigate and identify fraud in order to maintain program integrity and uphold the Commonwealth’s residents’ faith in public assistance programs. BSI’s efforts ensure that public assistance programs operate with transparency so that benefits are available to residents who truly need them. Public assistance programs administered by the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Department of Early Education and Care, and MassHealth provide vital social services for the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged residents—children, persons with disabilities, low-income individuals and families, and seniors.

$6,139,720  The amount of fraud BSI identified in FY 21

In FY21, BSI opened 3,224 new investigations and completed 3,4022 total investigations. This report includes a comprehensive breakdown of the fraud identified within each program BSI investigates. Of the 4793 completed cases with identified fraud, the average amount of fraud was $12,817.79.

Statistical data demonstrates that the cases BSI investigated in FY21 most frequently involved allegations of undisclosed employment, personal care attendants, undisclosed unemployment compensation, or an unreported non-custodial parent in the household.

Highlighting the Data Analytics Unit’s analytical support services, the following tables illustrate FY21’s total fraud allegations by county.

Table 1A. FY21 Total Fraud Allegations by Allegation Type and County

Allegation

Barnstable

Berkshire

Bristol

Dukes

Essex

Franklin

Hampden

Total

Assets

4

1

15

0

9

3

18

50

Child Care

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Dependent Not in Home

14

13

45

0

38

6

50

166

EBT Fraud

0

1

6

0

2

0

1

10

Employment

21

19

111

0

64

9

89

313

False Identity

0

1

5

0

8

0

2

16

Multiple Assistance

2

1

2

0

2

0

1

8

NCP Present

16

12

46

2

29

6

75

186

Non Resident

1

0

10

1

13

0

10

35

Other

1

0

0

0

1

0

0

2

Other Earner in the Home

3

1

23

0

14

2

25

68

Out of State

4

4

21

1

35

3

19

87

Personal Care Attendant

13

19

116

0

43

13

85

289

Subject Living Above Means

8

10

66

3

47

2

39

175

Support Payments

1

2

4

0

2

0

3

12

Trafficking

0

0

3

0

2

0

5

10

Unemployment Compensation

46

19

82

2

24

6

87

266

Grand Total

134

103

555

9

333

50

509

1,693

Table 1B. FY21 Total Fraud Allegations by Allegation Type and County

Allegation

Hampshire

Middlesex

Nantucket

Norfolk

Plymouth

Suffolk

Worcester

Grand Total

Assets

7

14

0

6

10

17

10

64

Child Care

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Dependent Not in Home

4

41

0

19

16

33

59

172

Electronic Benefit Transfer Fraud (EBT) Fraud

0

0

0

0

2

0

1

3

Employment

7

75

0

39

44

100

83

348

False Identity

1

7

0

3

2

10

8

31

Multiple Assistance

0

2

0

2

0

1

1

6

Non-Custodial Parent (NCP) Present

9

37

0

15

34

41

58

194

Non Resident

0

14

0

1

5

10

11

41

Other

0

3

0

2

0

1

0

6

Other Earner in the Home

3

17

0

10

4

27

22

83

Out of State

1

29

1

11

11

9

20

82

Personal Care Attendant

15

60

0

48

51

91

83

348

Subject Living Above Means

5

45

0

32

21

33

58

194

Support Payments

0

6

0

1

2

6

0

15

Trafficking

0

2

0

0

2

2

2

8

Unemployment Compensation

5

23

1

14

16

41

39

139

Grand Total

57

375

2

203

220

422

455

1,734

2.  This figure includes investigations that may have been opened during previous fiscal years and is not tied to investigations opened during FY21.

3.  This number reflects all the cases with a calculated overpayment (financial type).

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