Politics & Government

Welfare Office Starts 100-Day Crackdown on Waste and Fraud

The program aims to keep a closer look at who is using welfare, how it is being used and to restore public trust in the office.

A month after the head of the state welfare office resigned amid allegations of squandering millions of dollars, the department announced a new 100-day plan to reign in waste and fraud.

"Our mission is to strengthen our programs to ensure that only those who are eligible for benefits receive them," Stacey Monahan, interim commissioner of the Department of Transitional Assistance, said Thursday. “This plan will help us reach those goals, while ensuring that our precious taxpayer resources are used appropriately and only as intended.”

Reports surfaced in January that the agency may have overpaid federal food stamp recipients by almost $28 million since 2010 and given millions to people who weren't eligible for welfare. 

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The 100-day plan, called "Bridge to Stability," is designed to not only enhance program integrity and improve services for clients, but to restore public trust in the welfare office.

In March, Monahan launched a statewide listening tour to hear residents' feedback and suggestions on how the department can improve. It also hired external auditor Ernst & Young to spend four to six weeks reviewing the office's weak spots. 

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Other reforms include:

  • Monitoring clients who request multiple electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card replacements
  • Charging $5 fee for replacement EBT cards
  • Blocking the use of EBT cards to buy prohibited items, or using them at prohibited establishments
  • Monitoring of ATM and point of sale withdrawals to identify any purchases made at prohibited establishments
  • Verifying school attendance
  • Working with the Department of Revenue to improve the income verification process
  • Matching data with the Registry of Motor Vehicles


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