As part of TANF oversight, independent auditors conduct single audits, and states are required to take corrective action on audit findings as part of their responsibilities as TANF grant recipients. Based on a preliminary review of the most recently available state single audit reports, as of April 30, 2024, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified 155 unresolved TANF findings. This GAO report examines the extent to which single audit findings can relate to TANF fraud and is a part of a series of reports reviewing TANF.

In July 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) completed its first TANF fraud risk assessment using its Fraud Risk Assessment Portal. The HHS identified and assessed 21 fraud risks, and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) categorized these 21 fraud risks into nine broad categories, including: billing fraud, conflict of interest, conspiracy, cyber exploit, diversion, misrepresentation, misuse of aware funds, personal identifiable information theft, and skimming. This GAO report examines the extent to which HHS identified and assessed TANF fraud risks and is a part of a series of reports reviewing TANF.

In FY2023, the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program (JFMIP), a cooperative venture between the Government Accountability Office, the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Department of the Treasury, began an initiative to take a “whole of government” approach to advancing the prevention and recovery of improper payments. This initiative aims to reinforce and amplify each member organizations’ respective efforts to promote payment integrity; build off past success and apply lessons learned, especially from the COVID-19 pandemic; and develop a 3-year plan to advance payment integrity that will evolve as the work progresses. This PowerPoint describes the initiative and provides an overview of the three-year plan to advance payment integrity.

This Government Accountability Office (GAO) report provides a framework of five principles and corresponding practices that can help federal program managers mitigate improper payments, particularly in emergency assistance programs. The framework includes committing to managing improper payments, identifying and assessing improper payment risks, designing and implementing effective control activities, monitoring the effectiveness of controls in managing improper payments, and providing and obtaining information to manage improper payments.

These Government Accountability Office (GAO) resources provide helpful ways to identify and clarify the different types of fraud that may affect federal programs and guide efforts to prevent and address such fraud. These resources are organized into five categories: fraud scheme examples, fraud awareness resources, fraud prevention and detection guidance, fraud risk management principles, and GAO reports.

The Payment Integrity Center of Excellence is a community of experts within the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service that assists agencies in reducing improper payments and is dedicated to solving government-wide payment integrity challenges.

In FY2022, states spent more than 44 percent of federal TANF and state funds on non-assistance services, including work, education, and training activities; childcare; and child welfare services. Questions have arisen about how states use and account for TANF funds, and as a result the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to review TANF non-assistance spending. This GAO report, part of a series of reports reviewing TANF, examines how the seven selected states have used TANF non-assistance funds, non-assistance data collected and used by selected states, and any data challenges faced by selected states and the extent to which the Department of Health and Human Services provides support to address these challenges.

In February 2023, the Office of Payment Integrity took center stage at the Department of the Interior’s Financial Management Workshop, sharing insights on financial data integrity, strategic planning, and reporting. This workshop connected professionals across divisions to enhance transparency and accuracy in financial management.

In August 2023, the Office of Payment Integrity hosted its annual Payment Integrity Day: Helping to Support Your Payment Integrity Efforts, brought together 200+ federal and state leaders to tackle improper payments. Attendees explored cutting-edge tools like the Do Not Pay Initiative, Account Verification Service, and Death Record Confidence Scoring Tool, all designed to enhance accuracy and prevent fraud.

To address the growing challenge of public assistance fraud, a consortium of five states, working with contractors and supported by a grant from the Food and Nutrition Service, has established the National Accuracy Clearinghouse (NAC). The NAC is a contributory system of beneficiary information to support accurate and timely identification and verification of applicants applying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to reduce duplicate benefit issuance and improve program access. This white paper explains how the NAC, as an innovative solution for secure sharing of information on recipients of health and human services among states, can safeguard support for such human services programs by enhancing public confidence that the federal and state governments are properly and responsibly administering their taxpayer dollars.