Michigan Chooses New System to Fight Statewide Fraud

Mark Mandell, Esq.

In order to help combat fraud, waste and abuse in the state’s unemployment insurance and food stamp programs, Michigan’s Enterprise Fraud Detection System has selected SAS Analytics as its program of choice. While unemployment insurance helps to provide a safety net for workers who have lost their jobs, it is easily abused. Just last year alone, $10.3 billion in fraudulent insurance payments were made across the country.

The use of the SAS Fraud Framework for Government allows state officials to not only detect where fraud occurs, but also to help uncover fraudulent claims before they are paid. The system will initially be used to fight fraud and abuse in Michigan’s unemployment insurance and food stamp programs. Over time, it will be integrated and used to spot fraud across all executive branch departments and programs as well.

Instead of simply measuring how much fraud occurs, the system will help experts to examine the different factors that caused the fraud to occur in the first place. The SAS Fraud Framework for Government is specifically tailored to help governmental agencies in multiple ways: from detecting suspicious patterns in social programs, to uncovering tax evasion and even identifying sophisticated fraud rings.

Greg Henderson, Government Practice Lead for SAS Fraud and Financial Crimes Global Practice calls Michigan “a national leader in the fight against fraud.” By utilizing SAS, Henderson says, “it supports Gov. Snyder’s commitment to curtail fraud, waste and abuse, and to get assistance to the people who truly need it.”

The new system will bring transparency to both the unemployment and food stamp programs, helping Michigan to deliver benefits and services to those in need while avoiding costly, fraudulent pay-outs.

To learn more and read the original article, please visit: http://gcn.com/articles/2013/03/05/michigan-analytics-stop-fraud-waste-abuse.aspx

If you have questions about health care fraud or other legal issues, please contact Mark Mandell or Tariq Hafeez at 248.380.0000 or online at www.MichiganFraudLawyer.com.