Report Public Assistance Fraud

The Department is committed to reducing and preventing waste, fraud and abuse in Wisconsin’s public assistance programs.  One our main priorities is to make sure we are providing essential safety net benefits, like BadgerCare Plus and FoodShare to individuals and families in poverty while ensuring Wisconsin’s valuable taxpayer dollars are being spent in the most efficient, effective way possible.

Many of the fraud investigations that the Department’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) completes are tied to a tip that was provided by the public through the fraud hotline or fraud reporting website.  Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to report suspected fraud.

The OIG investigates fraud tips for any type of abuses of public resources such as:

• Billing Medicaid for services/equipment not provided.
• Filing a false application for a DHS-funded assistance program such as Medicaid, BadgerCare Plus, WIC or FoodShare.
• Trafficking of FoodShare benefits (trading the benefit card for cash, tobacco or alcohol, or buying ineligible non-food items).
• Crime/misconduct/mismanagement by a DHS employee/official or contractor.

If the OIG finds violations of state and federal laws, it works with law enforcement and the Department of Justice to take the appropriate action.

The Department encourages the public to report any fraudulent use of public assistance dollars through our fraud hotline 1-877-865-3432 or through the fraud reporting website.