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. Workers who have lost their jobs can rely on unemployment insurance as a safety net, but it is susceptible to abuse. Across the country, individuals made fraudulent insurance payments totaling $10.3 billion just last year alone.

State officials can use the SAS Fraud Framework for Government to not only detect where fraud occurs but also to help uncover fraudulent claims before paying them. Initially, Michigan’s unemployment insurance and food stamp programs will utilize the system to combat fraud and abuse. Over time, the integration and utilization of it will enable the detection of fraud across all executive branch departments and programs.

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 specifically tailors its assistance to governmental agencies, enabling them to detect suspicious patterns in social programs, uncover tax evasion, and identify 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.  

If you have questions about healthcare fraud or other legal issues, please contact Mark Mandell or Tariq Hafeez at (248) 380-0000 or online at FB-Firm.com. To learn more about this topic, please visit GCN.com.