13 Fraud

Fraud is defined as an offense committed by any person who obtains or attempts to obtain, or aids or abets any person, who under a scheme to deceive, knowingly falsifies, conceals, or covers up a material fact or makes or uses any false statement, writing or document to obtain a benefit or payment to which the family or child care provider would otherwise not be entitled. This intentional violation consists of any action by which an individual intentionally: • Made a false or misleading statement to eligibility workers, either orally or in writing, to obtain child care services to which the household is not entitled; • A child development facility falsely reported a child as enrolled; • Concealed information or withheld facts to obtain services to which the family is not entitled; or • Committed any act that constitutes a violation of: o Chapter 2 of Title 5A of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (5A DCMR § 200 et seq.). o The CCDBG Act and the implementing regulations, 45 C.F.R. Part 98; or o The Day Care Policy Act of 1979, effective Sept. 19, 1979 (D.C. Law 3-16, DC Official Code § 4- 401 et seq.) (Day Care Act). Recipient fraud includes, with intent to deceive, withholding information regarding eligibility factors such as gross annual family income, number of family members, ages of family members, employment status, knowingly using child care services for an ineligible child; or intentionally failing to report any changes which would affect the child’s eligibility for child care subsidies. All fraud investigations require the family to submit original documents for proof of eligibility.