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Lawmakers Question MDHHS BridgeCard Application Portal, Verification and Fraud Controls
Summary
At an Oversight Committee hearing, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) officials defended the MyBridges/BridgeCard application process while lawmakers pressed for data on unfinished applications, verification checks, fraud referrals and staffing for manual reviews.
At a meeting of the Oversight - State and Local Public Assistance Programs, lawmakers pressed Michigan Department of Health and Human Services officials about the BridgeCard and MyBridges online application portal, focusing on guest applications, identity and residency verification, expedited benefits rules, and fraud controls.
The committee’s questions ranged from why the portal allows a “guest” application without a Social Security number to how the department detects and refers suspected fraud. Duane Haywood, senior deputy director of the Economic Stability Administration at MDHHS, told the panel that “benefits are not issued until that certification is done and complete,” and described multiple back‑end crosschecks that occur after an initial submission.
Committee members said the front end of the portal lets applicants proceed with minimal information — in the committee’s test,…
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