Washington Creates First Chief Fraud Prevention Officer in Unified Fraud-Prevention Push
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed an executive order on October 27 creating the state's first Chief Fraud Prevention Officer and a statewide Public Funds Fraud Prevention and Accountability Workgroup to coordinate fraud prevention across state government in Olympia, the state capital in Thurston County.
The Chief Fraud Prevention Officer will strengthen oversight of fraud prevention, detection, investigation and recovery for health and human services programs run by executive cabinet agencies, including the Health Care Authority and the departments of Health, Social and Health Services, Labor and Industries, and Children, Youth and Families. The work will use existing resources, with a focus on program integrity and protecting federal funding.
"Washington takes fraud seriously," Ferguson said. "As we continue to face challenging state budgets and devastating cuts from the federal government, it is more important than ever to protect every dollar. My executive order unifies our prevention efforts across state government and expands them."
The new officer's role differs from that of the State Auditor, who investigates fraud allegations and whistleblower reports and conducts performance audits. State Auditor Pat McCarthy welcomed the order, noting her office created a director-level Special Investigations division earlier this year.
The workgroup, co-chaired by the Governor's Office and the Office of Financial Management, must deliver a statewide fraud prevention and accountability framework by June 30, 2027, and will study a public-facing accountability dashboard. The order also directs several agencies to develop new fraud prevention training for state employees.
Ferguson also announced he will propose legislation expanding Washington's Medicaid False Claims Act to cover all false claims against the state. Twenty-five states have general false claims acts; Washington is one of only five with a Medicaid-only law. Under the proposal, violators would face up to three times the government's actual damages plus civil penalties, enforced mainly through whistleblower qui tam lawsuits.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：华盛顿州议会大厦（Olympia）。Martin Kraft 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Washington State Capitol in Olympia. Photo by Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
