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______________________________________________________________________ DIVISION OF WELFARE AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES Child Care Policy Manual Investigative referrals are received from a variety of sources to include authorized DWSS and Child Care staff, concerned citizens, and other agencies in-person, fax, phone, mail, email, or online. All Child Care and Development Program investigations are performed by DWSS I&R staff and in accordance with rules and regulations as defined in DWSS Administrative Manual Section 3200. Alleged internal employee misconduct includes but is not limited to: • Embezzlement • Fraud • Theft • Misuse or misappropriation of state or federal funds • Receipt of, application for, or request to receive program benefits to which the person is not entitled to receive • Solicitation or acceptance of bribes • Intimidation with intent to conceal misconduct • Destruction of records with intent to conceal misconduct • Falsification of records Any suspected incidents of the above by internal staff are required to be reported by emailing DWSS Internal Fraud at: DWSSInternalFraud@dwss.nv.gov within 15 minutes of suspected activity. 711 Reporting Case Findings Upon completion of the investigation, the investigator completes an Investigative Follow-Up Form and keeps the original in the investigation case file and forwards copies to the Child Care and Development Program office staff who submitted the referral. If the case is associated with a DWSS public assistance case, a copy of the report may also be forwarded to the appropriate DWSS eligibility caseworker to impose appropriate penalty and/or sanction as required. 720 PROGRAM VIOLATIONS/PENALITIES Federal regulations permit the disqualification of Child Care Program participants when customers intentionally violate the program rules. Once disqualified, the program benefits may be denied or reduced for a minimum of six (6) months to one hundred twenty (120) months, with the potential of permanent disqualification. Administrative penalties are used to maintain program integrity. Applicant/Customer fraud is a violation of both federal and state law. If convicted, individuals may receive penalties, which include any or all of the following: Administrative program penalties and/or disqualification • Criminal conviction • Full program restitution • Criminal fines and/or penalties • Confinement in county, state or federal prison An intentional program violation (IPV) is an action by the accused for the purpose of establishing or maintaining program eligibility, or increasing or preventing a reduction in the benefit amount when they: • Made a false or misleading oral or written statement, or misrepresent, conceal or withhold information; 700- Program Violations, Overpayments, Hearings [3] MTL 01/24 July 1, 2024