Boston Herald - Red-faced state officials
admitted last night they are trying to find as many as 19,000 missing welfare
recipients -- after the controversial taxpayer-funded voter registration
pitches the state mailed to their addresses last summer were sent back marked
"Return to sender, address unknown."
The
Department of Transitional Assistance contacted 477,000 welfare recipients who
were on their books from June 1, 2011, to May 31, 2012, after settling a
voter-rights lawsuit brought by Democratic-leaning activist groups that
demanded an aggressive voter information effort by the state. That $274,000
push by DTA resulted in 31,000 new voter registrations -- but revealed an
alarming number of welfare recipients whose residency in Massachusetts can't be
confirmed
"DTA is
in the process of contacting those clients for which a forwarding address was
provided to verify their addresses, as a change of address might impact their
eligibility," a statement from the agency said.
DTA critics
expressed astonishment at the agency's faulty address records -- which were
only uncovered by accident -- saying it's further evidence that the electronic
benefits system sorely needs reform.
"Wow,"
said state Rep. Shaunna O'Connell, R-Taunton, upon hearing of the number of
returned mailings.
"The
fact that 19,000 of these came back undeliverable tells me DTA has no idea
where these people live, obviously, and is not doing the background checks they
should be doing," O'Connell said.
"It goes
to show this program is just fraught with fraud and abuse and needs a complete
overhaul," said O'Connell, who has made her name on Beacon Hill as a
leading legislator for welfare reform.
It was not
clear last night how many of the missing clients have moved out of state or are
otherwise no longer eligible to receive Massachusetts benefits.
DTA spokesman
Alec Loftus said he did not know how many clients left forwarding addresses,
and could not say what the state is doing to locate those who did not leave
forwarding addresses, while their benefits continued to be paid through direct
deposit to bank accounts.
Those
recipients who did leave forwarding addresses but failed to respond to
subsequent letters seeking confirmation were stripped of their benefits, Loftus
said. Those actions took place last summer, but were only revealed late
yesterday in response to a Herald request. Loftus could not say how many
clients have been booted from the system as a result of the address snafu.
However,
Loftus said last night the address database that was used in the mailings may
have also "likely included many former clients who are no longer receiving
benefits and may have moved to a new address, as well as applicants who were
denied benefits."
Gov. Deval
Patrick's office declined to comment
Source: (c)2013 Boston Herald January 8, 2013 8:04 am
http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/01/welfare_recipients
_ percentE2 percent80 percent98missing percentE2 percent80 percent99 Distributed by MCT Information Services A service of
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