Mo. Works to Fix Payout Glitch
A Missouri official said Monday the state was making changes to avoid errors similar to one last month that caused $1.2 million in child support payments to be double-issued.
Child support director Gary Bailey told lawmakers that private contractor Systems & Methods Inc. was responsible for the error. The Carrollton, Ga.-based company distributes checks to people on lists the state posts electronically.
The state didn’t release a list Thanksgiving Day because it was a holiday, and SMI workers mistakenly used a day-old list they believed to be a new one. They ordered a bank to send checks to the people on that list, not realizing the checks had been sent the day before.
The state has recovered $391,000 in overpayments. Bailey said any money that Missouri cannot recover will be charged to SMI.
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