Social Security fraud has become an increasingly important subject in the public square as the financial troubles facing the program have become clearer, along with the need to correct deficiencies in the program. Among conservative politicians, the subject of fraud has been highlighted as a major problem the Social Security Administration needs to tackle.
Although the heavy emphasis of some politicians on SSDI fraud is arguably misplaced, it is true that the problem deserves to be investigated. Here in the state of Michigan, the problem of fraud is going to be receiving greater attention due to the partnership of the federal government and the state of Michigan.
Michigan is not the only state which will be launching a disability fraud investigation program. Similar programs are either already set up or will be set up in the 21 states and Puerto Rico. According to the Social Security Administration, efforts to track disability fraud have been going on since 1997 and have helped save $2.8 billion.
This is an important issue for our readers, because accusations of disability fraud could be made against anyone suspected of attempting to defraud the government in disability application process. Though accusations of fraud are unlikely to hold weight at trial when there was no intent to defraud, it is very important for SSDI applicants to be sure to follow the process carefully so as to ensure their application is submitted with complete integrity and no appearance of wrongdoing. An experienced SSDI attorney can help ensure this, as well as provide other assistance in the process.
Source: The Detroit News, “Michigan, U.S. to partner to target disability fraud,” August 15, 2014.