Today, the Civil Division announced reforms to accelerate the review of False Claims Act whistleblower complaints alleging fraud against federally funded, state-administered benefits programs. These reforms will empower the Department to move quickly on meritorious qui tam cases, maximize finite enforcement resources, and focus on dismantling sophisticated fraud schemes that exploit taxpayer-funded programs.
The False Claims Act (FCA) is one of the government’s most powerful weapons for fighting fraud and protecting taxpayer dollars. Most FCA cases begin as qui tam actions filed under seal by whistleblowers, known as relators, in federal district court. Successful relators may receive a significant share of the government’s recovery. The Civil Division will now prioritize qui tam complaints alleging fraud against public benefits programs by performing its initial review within 60 to 120 days. At the conclusion of that review, the Department will decide whether to:
- Permit the relator to proceed with the action and to assume primary responsibility for litigating it, subject to the government’s ongoing supervision and ultimate control of the matter;
- Conclude the allegations warrant further government investigation; or,
- Determine the qui tam should be dismissed under 31 U.S.C. §3730(c)(2)(A) because the allegations lack adequate specificity or are legally deficient.
“Bad actors who exploit federal benefits programs count on fragmented information and sheer volume of claims to try and avoid scrutiny,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “By accelerating review of qui tam complaints alleging benefits fraud, we can more rapidly identify and disrupt emerging schemes, strategically deploy enforcement resources to recover taxpayer money, and strengthen the government’s broader fight against fraud.”
This year, the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the Administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. Every dollar lost to fraud in federal benefits programs is a dollar diverted from the Americans those programs are intended to serve.
The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. As detailed in the Executive Order entitled “Establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud” (March 16, 2026) (EO on Eliminating Fraud), American taxpayers fund a vast benefits system for citizens in need that includes housing, food, medical care, cash assistance, and more. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
The Department will also leverage a whole-of-government approach to ensure that new benefits fraud matters receive accelerated review and evaluation for all available enforcement options. New matters will be promptly referred to the Criminal Division and/or the National Fraud Enforcement Division for evaluation of potential criminal violations. In addition, new matters will be shared with the affected agency to evaluate potential administrative action, including payment suspension. Throughout its review, the Department also will seek information from the agency about the operation of the impacted program, data analysis, and other information to assist in corroborating the whistleblower’s allegations. The Civil Division will continue to assess how it can enhance processes and procedures to support prompt resolution of benefits fraud qui tams.
