The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) announced that it will reorganize several units into a new Office of Security, Compliance and Integrity as part of an effort to strengthen the agency’s internal integrity and controls, and bolster its ability to find, and fight, fraud. The new office will report to David Sterling, Senior Legal Advisor and Chief Counsel at DHS.
“After significant reorganization in other areas, we are now able to beef up the work we do to protect the integrity of our programs, and do more to identify beneficiary fraud and fraudulent activities in the programs we administer. This new office will help us do that,” said DHS Director Cindy Gillespie. “It’s incumbent upon us as an agency to protect the integrity of programs so that they remain strong for those who need them, and to ensure state dollars are used wisely.”
The Office of Security, which is led by retired United States Secret Service Special Agent-In-Charge of the Little Rock field office Brian Marr, will be renamed the Office of Security, Compliance and Integrity. It will oversee the Fraud and Internal Affairs units, as well as a new “watchdog” unit focused on non-Medicaid program integrity under its Compliance and Integrity arm, so that all can work more effectively together. Michael Crump, a former prosecutor in Pulaski County, will be responsible for managing the Compliance and Integrity arm of the office. He will work closely with the independent Office of Medicaid Inspector General, which investigates Medicaid provider fraud, and is responsible for Medicaid program integrity.
Crump has worked for DHS for 10 years, most recently as Assistant Director of Operations within the Division of Medical Services. He also recently participated in an intensive Lean Six Sigma training program, and will use those new skills to oversee four Lean Six Sigma projects dealing with identifying, investigating, and prosecuting beneficiary fraud. Lean Six Sigma is a team-based approach to systematically reducing waste and variation in business processes. Gillespie said the hope is that by improving processes, the agency will identify and investigate more beneficiary fraud allegations in programs like SNAP and Medicaid, and will work more closely with prosecutors across the state to seek convictions.
Marr will continue to be responsible for planning, developing, and administering security and safety programs and procedures for DHS personnel and facilities across the state. He will oversee DHS’s emergency assistance functions, as well as the new Compliance and Integrity arm.
“I’m confident that Michael and Brian can lead this department, in making sure our programs are strong, and are upholding the highest standards of integrity, and that people who are receiving services are truly eligible, and are doing what is required of them to participate,” said Sterling.