The recent resignation of former welfare commissioner Daniel Curley was the first in a series of actions needed to restore credibility at the state Department of Transitional Assistance. The agency, charged with ensuring the basic needs for about 500,000 of the state’s poorest households, has failed at its most basic administrative tasks — establishing eligibility and keeping track of its clients.
Evidence of this failure came in waves. In mid-January, the state auditor received evidence of $1.3 million in fraudulently obtained benefits during a three-month period. The state inspector general’s report came next, citing potential eligibility errors — including undisclosed assets and job income — in a whopping 33 percent of the department’s portfolio. The sloppy oversight could be costing taxpayers $25 million annually, according to the report.
Comments
According to rep. Shuana O'connell, wokers in the welfare office have contacted her and said they were told to overlook the fraud. spending other people's money seem to come easy for our leaders.
Dept of Transitional assistance??? In my job, I've seen able bodied people on welfare for more than 28 years, and am now seeing 2nd and 3rd generations within the same family.
This state provides no "assistance" to get off it only dependency with higher taxes on the working.
Actually, all of these people qualify for the Pell Grant, which basically pays for community college and DTA pays for free day care while you are doing it...these people just would rather keep getting free forever...why go to school when it will take away from your time at the bar? Healthcare costs money if you work, as do other things these people get free...day care, camp, school lunches, on and on if you know how to work the system...
Could a private, for profit, company be created to police Mass welfare recipients? Mass welfare would pay fees to this company for their finding fraudulent welfare recipients. The monies paid to this company would be substantially lower than the dollars currently paid to the people who knowingly steal from the 'system'. How could 4 state employees possibly put a dent in this corruption?
Anyone want to invest?
"The department, meanwhile, is still licking its wounds after reams of voter registration mailings to welfare recipients and applicants came back as undeliverable."
"Reams?" Wasn't it closer to 49,000 that came back??
And notice how every time someone sees a person flashing 4 or 5 EBT cards, or the police find a person (often an illegal) with 20 or so, these are only "anecdotes." As if!!
I like the idea of an outside agency (non-governmental employees) seeking out fraud.