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Columbia County Creates Welfare Fraud Task Force
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HUDSON - A task force to prevent and detect welfare fraud
was unveiled Friday, February 20, 2009, The Welfare Fraud Task Force will be a team effort of the Columbia County Department of Social Services, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Department, and the Columbia County District Attorney’s office, and the Columbia County Attorney’s office to make sure that eligible county families entitled to public assistance are able to get the assistance they need, and guarantee those not eligible for public assistance, or those providers that are over billing or otherwise committing welfare fraud, are denied access to funds. “ Columbia County administers more than $35 million in social service programs through its Department of Social Services, of which more than $16 million is paid for by county taxpayers,” Board Chairman Art Baer said at a news conference in the Board of Supervisors’ chambers at 401 State Street, Hudson. “ Far and away the majority of the funds are reaching those residents who need and are qualified to receive public assistance,” the Chairman said. “However, a percentage of the recipients of these programs are not entitled to these benefits and are obtaining them fraudulently. In addition, most providers of Medicaid services are honest in the pursuit of helping those in need, but some providers take advantage of the program.” “ It is government’s responsibility to do everything it can – especially in these difficult economic times -- to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent appropriately and for those with legitimate needs and not needlessly on those abusing or scamming the system,” the Chairman stated. The Welfare Fraud Task Force will focus on identifying and prosecuting individuals and entities engaged in defrauding our welfare system, Chairman Baer said, stressing that the initiative will utilize county resources at no additional expense. “ At a time when we are all looking at sharing resources, we are embarking on an opportunity to work collectively on an initiative that has had some success in the past,” said Department of Social Services Commissioner Paul Mossman. “ With everyone now committed, we are at a point in time where welfare fraud will be on the list of priorities for everyone.” “ The task force,” Mossman said, “will send a strong message that Columbia County will not tolerate welfare fraud. We are committed to maintaining the integrity of our public assistance programs to ensure the health and safety of our clients, protecting the interests of those in genuine need, while conserving taxpayer resources. “ Part of what we are doing is assigning a full time criminal investigator to work with the Department of Social Services staff to aggressively investigate those cases in which it is believed an individual is trying to take advantage of the public assistance program by falsifying documents or otherwise stealing funds or services that they shouldn’t have,” explained Sheriff David Harrison. The assignment of a Sheriff’s Investigator to work directly within the public assistance agency will broaden efforts and provide a direct law enforcement resource to the department, and offer investigative capabilities that civilian investigators cannot provide because they are not police officers. The Sheriff pointed out that in the past two years, his office identified seven cases of welfare fraud that resulted in the recoupment of $28,000 in funds. “Due to the current economic times there has been an increase in applications,” the Sheriff said, “and with that, we expect there will be more attempts to steal money or benefits.” “ We believe,” Sheriff Harrison said, “that with aggressive investigations at the source and aggressive prosecution by the District Attorney’s office, there will be a much greater amount of money to be saved by the County.” Columbia County taxpayers invest millions of dollars each year in public funds to assist their neighbors who need help – individuals who are required to meet strict eligibility requirements to receive public assistance for the basic necessities of life – housing, food, health care, the Chairman noted. “ Welfare fraud coldly steals funds that should be going to help those who really need it,” said District Attorney Beth Cozzolino. “These tough economic times touch every one of us, but those who are in need are hit particularly hard. That is why welfare fraud is especially unconscionable at this time. It is a waste, a disgrace and illegal.” The Columbia County District Attorney's office is anxious to work with the new Welfare Fraud Task Force and investigator to find and prosecute these criminals, and send a very strong message that Columbia County will not tolerate these crimes, she said. “ This is an unprecedented interagency opportunity to look at cases both criminally and civilly and to take appropriate action to represent the people of Columbia County,” said County Attorney Daniel Tuczinski. Doug McGivney, chair of the Legal Committee stated, “This is an example of several departments using its expertise to assure that needed funds get to those entitled to them. Fraud of any kind will not be tolerated. This amounts to a ‘zero tolerance’ of wrong doing within the system.” At the close of 2008, the Department of Social Services had a case load of nearly 8,000 providing benefits to almost 14,000 individuals, some of whom received multiple benefits through the system. The department’s case load included: temporary assistance, 197 cases, 469 individuals; safety net, 178 cases, 231 individuals; Medicaid, 4,976 cases, 6,694 individuals; food stamps, 1,119 cases, 3,412 individuals; and HEAP, 1,522 cases, 3,094 individuals. A “hotline” to report alleged welfare abuse will be established in the near future. “ We want Columbia County to be known as a compassionate county that takes care of its needy,” the Chairman said. “But we also want to make it clear that welfare fraud is who attempt to abuse our social service system.” |
