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WEST VIRGINIA RECORD

Friday, March 29, 2024

Morrisey’s Disability Fraud Unit has saved nearly $6 million

Morrisey

CHARLESTON – Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s disability fraud partnership reached a new milestone—achieving nearly $6 million in total savings during its first 18 months of operation.

The partnership generated nearly $1.29 million in projected savings for state and federal governments during the second quarter of 2017.

That projected savings brought the unit’s total to $5.8 million since it began in West Virginia.

“This unit’s continued progress in rooting out fraud, waste and abuse is remarkable,” Morrisey said. “Together, our partnership is reaching new heights in identifying those who seek to jeopardize this crucial safety net and take from those in legitimate need of disability benefits.”

The Cooperative Disability Investigations Unit, a partnership with the Social Security Administration, investigates suspicious or questionable disability claims.

The unit investigates beneficiaries, claimants and any third party who facilitates fraud.

The unit’s findings help disability examiners make informed decisions and ensure payment accuracy, while also equipping state and federal prosecutors with the facts needed to secure a conviction. This, in turn, generates significant savings for taxpayers.

CDI Units help resolve questions of potential fraud, in many instances, before benefits are ever paid. The Attorney General’s Office joined the program in December 2015, making it a first-of-its-kind unit for West Virginia.

The West Virginia unit joins two investigators and an analyst from the Attorney General’s Office with representatives from SSA, its Office of the Inspector General and the state’s Disability Determination Section.

Nationally, the CDI program is one of the most successful anti-fraud initiatives with regard to federal disability programs. It operates 39 units covering 33 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Morrisey has also asked the Legislature to transfer West Virginia’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit from the state Department of Health and Human Resources to his office. Of the 50 units nationwide, 43 are housed within the state attorney general’s office.

Such a move would fix deficiencies in West Virginia’s existing unit and yield greater efficiency and effectiveness to the benefit of the taxpayer.

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