Commentary by: What would you do if you realized someone was stealing from you? You’d do something – take some action: get the police involved to catch the thief and hopefully recover what was stolen. You would expect accountability. That is what’s happening in Kansas. The state is stepping up to the plate and cracking down on welfare fraud, according to a recent Associated Press report.
According to the article, state auditors suspect that more than 7,000 people are receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, aka food stamps, at a cost of $22 million per year to taxpayers. (Wow! A state that is finally acknowledging wide spread SNAP fraud and is doing something about it!) An October review of the state’s welfare programs found several indicators creating the suspicion for fraud: 312 possible deceased recipients, 941 potential instances of identity theft, 261 likely prisoners, and 6,400 people with out-of-state driver’s licenses.
A recent USDA audit identified fewer instances of potential fraud in the program. However, the USDA audit failed to factor in such key fraud indicators as prisoners, dead people, and bad Social Security Numbers. (Now, consider this lapse in auditing across the other 49 states. This is HUGE money!)
Kansas is taking steps to stop the fraud by developing an automated Kansas Eligibility Enforcement System. The system will help make sure that recipients of federal and state benefits are actually people who qualify for benefits. Plus…the state pledges to take a harsher stance and to prosecute for welfare fraud. (Finally, some common sense!)
