Special Investigations Division

Welfare Fraud is any intentional action which results in a recipient receiving benefits or payments to which they are not entitled. In an effort to prevent fraud, our Front End Detection [FEDS] Unit conducts investigations on applicants for temporary [public] assistance. These investigations include a number of verification activities, including visits to the applicant's home. They are designed to verify the basic facts on the application.

In 2010, our FEDS Unit completed 3,700 Temporary Assistance and Day Care investigations. Identifying discrepancies in applicant information and preventing ineligible cases from being opened, resulting in more than $7 million in welfare savings.

Rectifying welfare fraud after it's occurred involves the use of 3 strategies: criminal prosecution, administrative sanctions and restitution. If fraud is alleged after a case has been opened, our team of investigators work to detect the fraud and ultimately prosecute civilly or criminally those individuals who have defrauded the public benefit system.

Any and all overextended benefits issued to ineligible recipients (intentionally or unintentionally) are pursued for collection via grant reduction, recoupment, judgments and income executions within the parameters of Social Service regulations and NYS law. In 2010, the combination of monies recovered and FEDS cost avoidance resulted in more than $38 million due to the efforts of the Special Investigation Division.

The Resource Recovery unit is responsible, in part, for obtaining liens from applicable clients seeking Temporary Assistance.

Administrative Disqualification Hearings (ADH) are scheduled on Thursday mornings and will commence at 9 a.m. Hearings will continue to be scheduled on two or three Thursdays each month, depending on the volume of hearings held.

Telephone

Telephone Hot Line: 858-1886

E-Mail

E-Mail: fraudcomplaint@erie.gov

Postal Mail

Postal Mail:
ECDSS
Special Investigations Division
95 Franklin Street
Buffalo, New York 14202