(Jackson, Miss.) – The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) Benefit Recovery Unit reported more than $303,000 in taxpayer dollars was recouped over the past quarter after previous investigations showed public funds were defrauded or misused.
The funds were recovered from cases involving misuse of SNAP, Child Care Discretionary Funding and TANF subgrant funds broken down by month in the following areas:
| BRU Recovery of SNAP | BRU Recovery of Child Care | BRU Recovery of Subgrants |
| Dec. 2020-$88,078.45 | Dec. 2020-$80,100.92 | Dec. 2020-$18,413.91 |
| Jan. 2021-$12,150.39 | Jan. 2021-$5,683.13 | Jan. 2021-$810.57 |
| Feb. 2021-$53,518.77 | Feb. 2021-$6,690.09 | Feb. 2021-$37,891.59 |
The Benefit Recovery Unit, under the direction of Debresha McDonald, is part of the Office of Inspector General in MDHS. Created in August 2018 and charged with detecting, preventing, and deterring fraud, waste, and abuse within the agency, OIG has been responsible for millions in dollars collected from misused eligibility funds.
“We don’t just talk about restoring trust, we are taking every foreseeable measure to demonstrate our commitment to identifying and eliminating fraud in all our programs,” MDHS Executive Director Bob Anderson said. “Our focus will always be on ensuring these benefits go to the individuals who need and qualify for them.”
Suspected fraud can be reported MDHS online any time submitting the MDHS Fraud Tip Form at https://www.mdhs.ms.gov/report-fraud/, calling the Fraud Tip Line during normal business hours at 1-(800)-299-6905, or email at fraud@mdhs.ms.gov.