Fairfield County Job and Family Services takes Public Assistance fraud very seriously. It is the Fraud and Benefit Recovery Team’s responsibility to uphold the integrity of each program our agency offers. This is a task that can’t be accomplished without the diligence of our caseworks, the involvement of the public, and the hard work of the Fairfield County Prosecutor’s office. 

In 2021, our agency received 599 reports of possible public assistance fraud or over issuance of benefits. Those referrals allowed the team to refer nine cases to the Fairfield County Prosecutor’s office and with their expertise, all nine were prosecuted. In addition to the prosecuted cases, the team was able to prove fraud on 57 cases and establish an additional 115 overpayment cases. In 2021, $267,196 of tax-payer’s money was returned thanks to our dedicated team! 

This year, our agency implemented a new procedure to stop Public Assistance Fraud before it starts. This new initiative is called Early Detection and Prevention (EDP). An EDP form was created and used by all case workers while processing applications. The form has a series of questions for the caseworker to address which pertain to the key indicators of fraud that were identified by the State of Ohio. If a case meets any of the key indicators, the case is placed on hold while the Investigator has up to five days to review the case before benefits are issued. In just the last three months, 30 Early Detection and Prevention forms have been reviewed by investigators and fraud was stopped, before it began, on five cases. 

Another goal for the year, was to increase the public’s awareness of how important it is that they report any suspicion of public assistance fraud or misuse. We created social media ads and spread the word to county partners. Our agency is happy to announce that our community referrals have more than doubled. Community referrals are important because 40% of the cases that have been prosecuted within the last year were due to public reporting. 

While it is imperative for the public to understand that public assistance fraud costs all of us, it is equally important to understand that public assistance fraud makes up a very small percentage of our customer base. 

If you suspect public assistance fraud, please report it to Fairfield County Job & Family Services. Reports are taken in person, at www.fcjfs.org or via our hotline at 740-652-7616.  

Fairfield County foster parents Cory and Heather Mason were recognized as the 2022 PCSAO Family of the Year. The Masons were nominated for their work fostering teens as well as supporting recruitment of foster families in the community. Pictured below are Cory and Heather, their children, and Protective Services staff.

Fairfield County Job and Family Services - Protective Services Caseworker, Lea Fisher, was also recognized as the 2022 PCSAO Outstanding Caseworker of the Year! Lea was nominated for her work going above and beyond expectations for the children and families in Fairfield County. Pictured below is Lea Fisher and Protective Services staff members who were there to support her.

JFS staff gave back to our community on Sept. 14, pulling weeds, scrubbing walls, cleaning fitness equipment, and picking up trash during Community Care Day through the United Way at the Robert K. Fox Family YMCA.

The United Way does so much in our community and we are always happy to partner with them. Thank you to our staff who contributed their time today!

On June 15, 2022, the Protective Services Department of Fairfield County Job and Family Services dressed in their finest purple attire and hosted an event to recognize World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The event focused on serving the elderly in Fairfield County through community collaboration. Participants of Fairfield County’s Elder Interdisciplinary Team (I-Team) engaged in an interesting panel discussion. The discussion was centered on the strengths and barriers to the collaboration in Fairfield County. Fairfield County’s Elder I-Team is a longstanding collaborative group, identified as one of the first in the state. The Elder I-Team is made up of participants from multiple agencies, including Meals on Wheels, Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging, Fairfield County Guardianship Service Board, The Salvation Army, Lancaster Police Department, Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department, Violet Township Fire Department, and Adult Protective Services. Participants meet monthly to discuss trends, provide updates on their respective agencies, and staff complex scenarios they may face when serving the elderly. The work of Fairfield County’s Elder I-Team has recently been highlighted in nationally presented research completed by The Ohio State University. Dr. Kenneth Steinman, who led the research, was present at the event to discuss trends on collaborative approaches for serving the elderly.

Commissioner Dave Levacy kicked off the event with a presentation, on behalf of the Fairfield County Commissioners, with a proclamation honoring June as Elder Abuse Awareness Month in Fairfield County. The event was closed out with the anticipated announcement of the Supporting Seniors Award winner. Congratulations to Dr. Mikael Schilb, of the Fairfield Community Health Center, as this year’s award recipient. 

As a reminder, if you have concerns about an older adult age 60 and over, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our dedicated staff to report your concerns at 740-652-7887. Concerns can also be reported through the statewide portal, launched last year, at https://aps.jfs.ohio.gov/.

MAKE A WISH COME TRUE IN 2022! 

Children, families, and elderly adults linked with Protective Services this holiday season need our help. The support in previous years from our Fairfield County community has been unbelievable, and we hope to be able to continue that support this year. Protective Services staff will soon begin gathering wish list from children, families, and elderly adults and we are searching for donors to sponsor them.   

Have you thought about providing a donation or sponsoring a child, family, or elderly adult for Christmas? If so, please contact Heather Funk at 740-652-7689 or email at heather.funk@jfs.ohio.gov. You can also go to our website at FCJFS.org to find more details on all the ways that you can help make this holiday season so special for a child, family, or elder adult.

The Fairfield County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) celebrated national Child Support Awareness Month in August. To commemorate the occasion, the CSEA staff engaged in a multitude of activities intended to demonstrate our support for the children of Fairfield County and the customers who support them.  

The CSEA led a JFS-wide school supply donation drive late this summer. Thanks to generous donations from our JFS team members, we were able to purchase fifteen backpacks and fill each of them with school supplies and a $15 Target gift card. To compliment this fundraising endeavor, fifteen JFS staff members volunteered their time with Big Brother Big Sisters of Fairfield County on the evening of July 20 and served as “Bigs” for the evening. During this event, the JFS volunteers were each paired with a child involved in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Throughout the next two hours the JFS participants engaged in mentorship and numerous activities with their assigned child. The culmination of the evening saw the volunteers present the backpacks and supplies to all fifteen of the children present. In the days following, one of the JFS volunteers even agreed to be a permanent “Big” for a child in the program.  

Additional Fairfield County Child Support Awareness Month activities were made possible thanks to generous donations from some local organizations. Customer appreciation efforts were aided by two local businesses, Wendy’s and Motion Industries. These companies donated frosty coupons and Child Support Awareness Month-branded water bottles, respectively, for our staff to distribute to customers making payments at our the CSEA’s Payment Drive-Thru location. Moreover, courtesy of a donation from the Ohio State Fair, numerous free fair tickets were handed-out to customers visiting our building.  

Child Support Awareness Month continues to serve as an important reminder of the importance and impact of Fairfield County’s child support program. Serving nearly 40,000 of our county’s citizens and collecting nearly 23 million dollars in child support on an annual basis; among government service programs, the child support program remains second only to our public school system in terms of the population served.

JFS staff wore orange on Sept. 8 to promote awareness for Hunger Action Day! Staff did their part to help solve hunger!