LANSING — The Michigan Department of Human Services has been awarded a $1.3 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to help clients avoid identity theft within their DHS food assistance program (FAP) accounts.

The grant, which is part of the United States Department of Commerce and its National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC), will help DHS pilot a major new automated initiative, aimed at assisting clients in establishing their identity and avoiding longer waits, along with other issues related to cyber fraud.

Michigan currently ranks fourth, nationally, for identity theft complaints. Pennsylvania shares in this latest cyber-security grant. 

The objective of the new initiative isn’t to prevent or slow down a new application for benefits, but to remove applications from the need for a manual review, thus providing the client with a quick and accurate way to prove their identity.

“We have made a special effort to detect fraud upfront, at the time of application for benefits,” said Maura Corrigan, DHS Director. “But we know that many clients are themselves victims of identity theft. Thanks to this generous grant, the new system will help us verify and authenticate those who desire a more streamlined process at the beginning, benefitting the client and DHS.”