Japan’s Welfare Ministry reports at least 630 disability welfare providers are making fraudulent claims

Written with extracts translated from Oita Press

February 22nd 2020

The disability welfare services that support the lives and employment of persons with disabilities that were in illegal receipt of national benefits through operating companies, came to at least about 2.63 billion yen in the fiscal years from 2014 to 2018, Kyodo News found in a local government survey. There was a total of at least 630 companies whose services were in in receipt of benefits and were cancelled as a designated provider of services.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare had not released a report on the number of fraudulent receipts and reimbursements before, and this is the first time that the nationwide situation had been revealed.

Under the government’s policy to spread services, commercial-priority businesses have entered the market, and the fact that fraud is spreading has emerged.

There are many ways to receive fraudulent services, such as misrepresenting the record of service provision or the number of staff.