Job & Family Services Office of Unemployment Compensation
Office of Unemployment Compensation

Bureau of Integrity Assurance

BENEFIT PAYMENT CONTROL
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It is our mission. . .
To promote and maintain the integrity of the Unemployment Compensation Program through the prevention, early detection, investigation, enforcement and recovery of improper unemployment compensation benefits.

STATE CRACKS DOWN ON CHEATERSImage of brass scales and gavel 
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services wants jobless Ohioans to get every penny of unemployment compensation they deserve but has no tolerance for those who attempt to defraud the system. The department’s Benefit Payment Control (BPC) section is responsible for investigating unemployment compensation fraud and improper payments and for preventing fraud before it occurs. Ohio's BPC is one of the most active groups of its kind in the nation. Those who flagrantly commit fraud are criminally prosecuted. All convictions require full repayment of unlawfully obtained benefits and may result in probation or possible jail time.

In most cases, fraud occurs when people attempt to collect unemployment benefits while they are working or after they return to work. Claimants are reminded that they must report wages in the week they work, not the week they are paid. 

Methods of Detectionimage of magnifying glass and dollar bills
BPC uses state-of-the-art detection methods that involve cross-matching several computer databases to ferret out fraud. This includes checking “new hire” and other reports from employers, workers’ compensation records, and child support databases. A number of other techniques — including public tips by telephone, mail, fax and email — also are used to preserve the integrity of the system. New fraud detection methods are constantly being developed, and existing methods are upgraded on a regular basis.

In the last 12 months, Ohio's Benefit Payment Control section identified more than $31,551,013.00 in fraudulent, overpaid benefits.
  
Fraud overpayments not paid in full are turned over to the Ohio Attorney General's Office for collection. The Attorney General's Office aggressively pursues repayment and uses a wide spectrum of legal options. It can put liens against property, intercept entitlements such as state income tax refunds, and employ a myriad of other actions to get the money back.
  
Any suspected fraud should be reported by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-800-686-1555, by faxing the information to 1-614-752-4808, or by clicking on any REPORT FRAUD link on this website.
  

 

 


 

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Featured Links...

BPC Home

REPORT FRAUD

FAQ Page - Claimants

FAQ Page - Employers

 

Contact Information:

Benefit Payment Control

P.O. Box 1618

Columbus, OH 43219-1618

1-800-686-1555

ucbenprotest@jfs.ohio.gov