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5.7 LAA Employee Irregularities or Fraud LAA leadership is responsible for diligently monitoring for employee irregularities, including but not limited to: ● Misrepresentation on applications resulting in unauthorized payments Unauthorized changes to benefit amounts for personal gain

● False or incomplete information provided by an employee to fraudulently secure benefits

A. Reporting and Immediate Action ● All suspected employee fraud must be documented and reported immediately to the State OHEP office. ● Local Department of Social Services (DSS) OHEP staff must also follow departmental employee fraud protocols. ● Community Action Agency (CAA) OHEP staff must report incidents to the State OHEP office, who will coordinate with OIG and the Attorney General’s Office.

B. Employee Suspension ● Any employee implicated must be immediately relieved of all OHEP-related duties pending investigation.

C. Processing Employee Applications To prevent conflicts of interest: ● Employees must apply for energy assistance in the jurisdiction where they reside.

● Applications must be submitted to the lead worker in the local office.

● The lead worker is responsible for data entry and eligibility processing.

Updated May 2025