Welfare Fraud and Denied Benefits

Re “Target Welfare Fraud,” editorial, July 6: Rather than recommend hiring an outside consultant to pursue the grand jury’s recommendations on pursuing welfare fraud, what about holding L.A. County supervisors responsible for the poor performance? How often have we heard our elected officials promise to wring waste and abuse out of government programs? The supervisors have a chance to do this by allocating the resources needed to properly administer a fraud prevention program.

It would seem apparent that a well-staffed office could pay for itself through the savings it generates in eliminating fraud. If hundreds of millions of dollars are to be saved, surely the county can afford more than four investigators.

FRANK ALBERS

Seal Beach

*

Re “Welfare Fraud Tab May Hit $500 Million a Year,” July 1: I would love to see the grand jury investigate the Department of Public Social Services for the benefits it should pay out but doesn’t. Based on estimates from other states, this would dwarf the reported $325 million overpaid.

One client story: Jane (not her real name) and her children were homeless. She had been to the welfare office four days in a row to get homeless assistance benefits, to which she was clearly entitled. Her 9-month-old son had been without a MediCal card since he was born; he had not received any well-baby care. Even after the intervention of an advocate, the worker tried to give Jane benefits that were 25% less than she should have received. We were able to get Jane the benefits she qualified for, and she is now in permanent housing and working toward self-sufficiency.

Of the eight clients in the office that afternoon, five of them were denied benefits they qualified for. If we had not been there as advocates, they may have never received them. Interesting that on the same page was “Ranks of Homeless Children on the Rise, Study Finds.” Am I the only one who sees the connection?

BRIAN STERN, PhD Candidate

UCLA Dept. of Social Welfare