West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey recently touted a toll-free hotline as an instrumental tool in his office’s fight against Social Security disability fraud. The Social Security Fraud Hotline, 1-800-269-0271, puts consumers in direct contact with Social Security program specialists, to submit fraud allegations to Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The Social Security OIG reviews the allegations for possible criminal investigation. “The Social Security Fraud Hotline is a quick, easy way for every resident to protect Social Security,” Morrisey said. The Attorney General’s commitment to combating disability fraud led to the creation of West Virginia’s Cooperative Disability Investigations (CDI) Unit in December 2015, which generated $1.2 million in projected savings during its first six months of operation. The CDI unit works to help resolve questions of potential fraud, in many instances, before benefits are ever paid. CDI efforts help disability examiners make informed decisions and ensure payment accuracy. That identifies the bad actors and generates significant savings for taxpayers, solidifying Social Security for those legally allowed to obtain the benefit. The West Virginia unit joins two investigators and an analyst from the Attorney General’s Office with representatives from the Social Security Administration, its OIG 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 37 units covering 32 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Members of the public can report suspected disability fraud to the Social Security Fraud Hotline from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Reports also can be submitted online at https://oig.ssa.gov/report; sent via U.S. Mail to P.O. Box 17768, Baltimore, MD, 21235; or fax 410-597-0118.
