BSI is the Bureau of Special Investigations. If DTA thinks you got too many benefits or too much cash assistance because of your mistake or because you committed fraud, it may refer your case to BSI. 106 C.M.R. §§ 706.230-706.270.
BSI may tell you to come in for an interview. You do not have to go the interview. Your benefits won't stop just because you don't go to the interview. But, if you don't go, BSI may decide to send the case back to DTA to collect the overissuance or to prosecute you for fraud.
If you do go to a BSI interview, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you. It may be best to remain silent even if you haven't done anything wrong. You do not have to give BSI names of people to talk to.
Do not sign anything unless BSI has shown you how it figured the overissuance, you are sure that all the calculations are correct, and you agree with everything in the statement you are signing. Do not agree to a repayment schedule that you will not be able to keep or that will cause your family hardship. If you are unsure, consult an advocate first.
Produced by Patricia Baker, Laura Gallant, Deborah Harris, Rochelle Hahn Massachusetts Law Reform Institute Last updated January 2011
