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Pine County HHS says it received provider lists tied to state fraud probes; staff flagged local concerns
Summary
Commissioners discussed recent statewide HHS fraud reports and how Pine County has been affected; HHS Director Becky Foss said the county received lists of names tied to housing‑related services and described how local social workers have helped flag suspicious provider activity. DHS provided a final number of eight for a previously asked data point.
Commissioners discussed state‑level reports of fraud affecting HHS programs and asked whether Pine County had been impacted.
Commissioner Nelson asked whether names provided by the state in recent fraud investigations showed up in Pine County caseloads. Becky Foss, Pine County health and human services director, said the county "received a list of names of individuals supposedly receiving services related to the housing" and reiterated that receiving a list does not mean the services were fraudulent. Foss said some providers named on lists are "well known to us and well known in our community." She described how fraud schemes sometimes involve individuals mimicking medical or service providers and billing for services that were not delivered.
Foss said local social workers sometimes detect anomalies and escalate them: she gave a local example where a social worker alerted supervisors when a client in a facility was only receiving a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and staff turnover suggested a problem; the matter was escalated to state authorities and the Office of the Inspector General. On an earlier data question about undocumented individuals in county caseloads, Foss said DHS’s final number provided to the county was eight.
Commissioners expressed concern for victims whose identities may have been used in schemes and discussed whether counties should do more to assist state fraud investigations. Foss said counties can help by flagging suspicious cases but that larger fraud investigations and program terminations are handled at the state level.
No formal action was taken; Foss said staff will continue to coordinate with state agencies when staff identify suspicious activity.
