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WEST VIRGINIA RECORD

Friday, March 29, 2024

Disability fraud partnership has saved more than $20 million in four years, AG's office says

State AG
Patrickmorrisey

CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey says his office’s disability fraud partnership has surpassed $20 million in savings since it was created four years ago.

In 2019 for the second consecutive year, it saved more than $6 million for state and federal agencies. The four-year total now is more than $20.4 million.

“The benefits received from this partnership are remarkable,” Morrisey said in a statement. “By rooting out fraud, waste and abuse, we protect Social Security disability benefits for those who need them most.”

The office's Cooperative Disability Investigations Unit, which is a partnership with the federal Social Security Administration, investigates suspicious or questionable disability claims. It investigates beneficiaries, claimants and any third party who facilitate 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.

West Virginia joined the CDI program in 2015. CDI units are designed to help resolve questions of potential fraud, in many instances, before benefits are ever paid. The state’s unit combines two investigators and an analyst from the Attorney General’s office with SSA representatives, its Office of the Inspector General and the state’s Disability Determination Section.

The CDI program is one of the most successful anti-fraud initiatives related to federal disability programs. It operates 46 units covering 40 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Those who suspect disability fraud are asked to report it to the Social Security Fraud Hotline online at https://oig.ssa.gov/report; via U.S. Mail to PO Box 17785, Baltimore, MD 21235; fax (410) 597-0118; or call (800) 269-0271.

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