Benefit Integrity and Recovery Unit
The Benefit Integrity and Recovery Unit (BIRU) is charged with investigating recipient fraud in the agency’s public assistance programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Reports of suspected fraud are received from both internal and external sources. Examples of suspected fraud include withholding or falsifying information in order to receive public assistance to which one is not entitled and trading or selling EBT cards in violation of program regulations. In state fiscal years 2020 and 2021, the BIRU investigated 3,502 cases of suspected fraud and discovered $14.5 million in TANF and SNAP overpayments due to fraud. All of these fraudulent disbursements must be repaid.
In FFY 2019, the BIRU was ranked "number two" in the Southeast in the following areas:
- Intentional Program Violation (IPV) claims established in the SNAP program
- Dollar amount of fraud claims established in the SNAP program
In FFY 2020, the BIRU was ranked “number three” in the Southeast in the following areas:
- Number of Intentional Program Violation (IPV) claims established in the SNAP program
- IPV claims dollars collected in the SNAP program
- Dollar amount of fraud claims established in the SNAP program
BIRU has five operating units throughout the state: Benefit Trafficking, Claims and Recoveries, Fraud Detection and Investigations, Investigative Analytics and Knowledge Management and Staff Development.
Office of Inspector General Hotline: 1 (844) 694-2347
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