Victory: Millions Saved in Fraud Elimination

Date: April 06, 2016 Last Edit: April 07, 2016

Gov. Walker’s program prioritizes sustainability of public assistance funds.

Victory: Millions Saved in Fraud Elimination

In the first four years of a program created by Gov. Walker in 2011—the Office of the Inspector General—the state has seen tremendous savings by eliminating fraud and avoiding overpayments through government assistance programs.

“It is our job to be good stewards of our taxpayers’ dollars and ensure government services are free from abuse and misuses,” Gov. Walker said in a statement. “…Eliminating fraud helps guarantee these services are available for those who really need them.”

The OIG was created to consolidate the current investigation staff dispersed among multiple departments and add fraud prevention resources to ensure long-term sustainability of public assistance programs like Medicaid, FoodShare and BadgerCare Plus.

The OIG’s first annual report outlined a variety of key accomplishments:

  • Increased identification of recipient fraud overpayments by 80 percent
  • Identified $38 million in overpayments to Medicaid and FoodShare recipients
  • Identified nearly $50 million in Medicaid provider overpayments and recovered $40 million
  • Collected nearly $90 million through drug settlements

The OIG’s success is dependent upon citizen reports of fraud, waste and abuse. Call the toll-free fraud hotline at 877-865-3432 or visit the online portal at www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/fraud if you have anything to report. Since the hotline and online portal were launched, the OIG has received more than 8,000 online complaints and more than 5,000 telephone calls.

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