May is Public Assistance Fraud Awareness Month in Ohio, and Wood County Job and Family Services is spreading the word that “Fraud Costs All of Us.” During the month of May, five Wood County pizza restaurants will be handing out pizza cutters with the Wood County fraud reporting phone numbers printed on them to their pizza customers.
David Wigent, Director of Wood County Job and Family Services, advised, “We are trying to reach members of the general public who may not know about our department or how to contact us if they have concerns about possible public assistance fraud. The pizza restaurants chosen to participate are in various locations around Wood County.”
In 2015, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services disbursed about $2.5 billion in SNAP food assistance, $259 million in Ohio Works First cash assistance and $573 million in child care subsidies. Individuals who mislead caseworkers or lie on an application for benefits account for a very small percentage of the funding disbursed, but the department takes even the smallest fraud cases very seriously.
Wood County Job and Family Services was recently recognized by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services for their Excellence in claims management. Wood County Job and Family Services ranked 3rd among all Ohio Job and Family Services in the number of food assistance overpayment claims established in 2015, and 5th in the recovery of these claims. In 2015, a total of $151,077.65 in improperly obtained benefits were repaid.
Individuals found to be committing fraud are removed from the program, must repay any improperly obtained benefits, and may face criminal charges and jail time. Residents of Wood County may report suspected public assistance fraud by calling Wood County Job and Family Services at (419) 373-6964 or (419) 373-6950 or going to www.jfs.ohio.gov/fraud.
