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.
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 |