SWWHS keeping close eye on fraud

With so much attention being paid to allegations of fraud at the state level in Minnesota, Southwest Health and Human Services on Tuesday spoke at the Lyon County Board of Commissioners meeting about how that organization deals with potential misdoings.

SWHHS Director Stacy Timm said their fraud prevention investigator receives referrals from SWHHS eligibility workers. The investigator is charged with looking at new applications for public assistance or current open cases for public assistance.

“His job is to either stop those benefits from happening, or stopping them as soon as possible,” said Timm. “It’s very direct what he’s investigating. Those referrals have to come from either an eligibility worker or from the state helpline.”

Timm said the organization, which covers nine southwest Minnesota counties, has gone from two investigators to one, but if they see an increase in potential fraud cases, they might be able to bring back a second investigator.

“We liked having two of them, but unfortunately, the numbers weren’t supporting that,” she said. “Now we have a new investigator who came in last June, and he has done a really great job.”

Fraud cases, Timm said, were moved from the Department of Human Services a few years ago, and is now reported under the office of the inspector general.

“As far as the environment that we are in, he is getting referrals, but not too many at this point,” Timm said. “We’re not seeing here what we’re seeing in the news.”

SWHHS’s focus when it comes to fraud is on individuals, SWHHS said, not on agencies.

“We’re not investigating vendors, we’re investigating applicants,” Timm said.

In other business Tuesday …

• The board approved the Environmental Administrator to pursue bids for Garvin Park Legacy Grant Infrastructure Improvement projects, which include engineering; the purchase and construction of three picnic shelters; on-site construction of a bathroom/ shower building; and electrical infrastructure improvements for the Upper and Lower campgrounds.

• The board recognized the following County employees for their years of service: Five years: Riley Williams, Abby Vandelanotte, Elizabeth Sieber, Jake McCalla; 10 years: Joel Walerius, Steven Knutson, Brandon Coens, Keith Lindeman, Haylee Jensen, Travis Frederiksen, Bryan Marthaler; 15 years: Kevin Groenewold, Michael Sumerfelt; 20 years: Thomas Tykwinski, Adam Desutter, Steven Louwagie; 25 years: Todd Roelfsema.