Food stamp fraud rampant: GAO report
Food stamp fraud rampant: GAO report
Americans receiving food stamps were caught selling and bartering their benefits online for art, housing and cash, according to a new federal report that investigates fraud in the nations largest nutrition support program.
Complicating the situation is the fact states around the country are having trouble tracking and prosecuting the crimes because their enforcement budgets have been slashed despite the rapidly-rising number of food stamp recipients, according to the Government Accountability Office report.
Under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, 47 million people have been awarded $76 billion in benefits. State agencies are responsible for addressing SNAP recipient fraud under the guidance and monitoring of the Food and Nutrition Service.
Such rapid program growth can increase the potential for fraud unless appropriate agency controls are in place to help minimize these risks, the investigators said in their report.
The GAO report resulted from a review of 11 state and federal efforts to fight food stamp fraud, effectiveness of certain fraud detection tools and how FNS oversees state anti-fraud efforts.
The report found that most of the selected states reported difficulties in conducting fraud investigations due to either reduced or maintained staff levels while SNAP recipient numbers greatly increased from fiscal year 2009 through 2013.
The report also said some of the state officials interviewed suggested changing the financial incentives structure to help support the costs of investigating potential SNAP fraud.
As for the actual fraud itself, during a 30-day testing period of the automated tool for e-commerce websites, the GAO report found 28 postings from one popular e-commerce websites that advertised the potential sale of food stamp benefits in exchange for cash.
The GAO also found limitations on the effectiveness of recommended replacement card data and website monitoring tools for fraud detection.
It also said states have different thresholds for prosecuting food stamp fraud.
In Tennessee, for example, $100 in benefits must be fraudulently obtained before officials will consider prosecuting, but in Texas it is a $5,000 level.
Allegations of fraud and abuse have long-plagued SNAP and have been used by lawmakers in Washington to argue that the program has spiraled out of control.
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Allegations of fraud and abuse have long-plagued SNAP and have been used by lawmakers in Washington to argue that the program has spiraled out of control.
Best thing we could do for these leeches is cut them loose from the governments teat and let them develop some self respect by feeding themselves. The sloth and maggot can do it but most of these people have convinced themselves they can't.
Oh my. The F-35 has cost overruns, including embezzlement's, graft, etc, to the tune of a Trillion dollars....and it still keeps on getting grounded but poor people scamming the system is more in tune with the conservative psych.
1) The federal government does not run SNAP, individual states do. Important thing to know.
2) The OP article came from Fox News so you know it has to be severely slanted.
3) Ok, so I read the article but could not find a link to the GAO report they kept mentioning. Opps, not there. Why bother their viewers and readers with reports that use big words that they wouldn't understand either.
4) So I looked for this recent GAO report myself and found it here and here . I read the report and immediately noticed how distorted fox news presented it but that was no surprise.
In a nutshell, the GAO was investigating 11 states to see how well the states, using FNS tools, were detecting fraud. However, in the report, they keyed on Michigan where the "GAO's analysis found potential trafficking in 73 percent of households". The report never mentioned a specific dollar amount and did not even hint that there is "rampant food stamp fraud".
My advice to people is read the report/analysis/study any news site quotes. Fox, for example, is notorious for hyperbolizing or sensationalizing this kind of stuff.
While all theft in any government program is not good, I'd be more concerned about theft within the F-35 fiasco.