Politics & Government
Auditor Identifies $13.7 Million in Welfare Fraud
Massachusetts State Auditor Suzanne Bump released an audit on welfare fraud this week.
MASSACHUSETTS -- Massachusetts Auditor Suzanne Bump on Wednesday released an audit that identified nearly $13.7 million in welfare fraud.
The number marks a 44 percent increase from last year, said MassLive, when she identified $9.5 million. She told MassLive that the increase doesn’t mean there is more fraud, but rather that the department is “working smarter” in identifying it.
MassHealth fraud accounts for the largest piece of the pie, amounting to more than $7.7 million, she announced.The fraud generally comes in the form of people hiding income in order to get eligibility to benefits, she told MassLive.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) accounted for the next largest amount of fraud, totaling more than $4.5 million. According to the USDA, SNAP fraud is when SNAP benefits are exchanged for cash, and is referred to as trafficking. It also happens when someone is dishonest on his or her application in order to get benefits or more than for which they are eligible. Lastly, SNAP fraud happens when a retailer has been disqualified from the program for past abuse and lies on the application to get in the program again.
Some $13 billion is spent annual on welfare benefits in the state, reports MassLive.
Transitional aid to families with dependent children accounted for just over $1 million in Bump’s fraud report, fraud aimed at the Department of Early Education and Care amounted to $245,670 and emergency aid to the elderly, children and disabled accounted for the remaining $111,099.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
