Gov. Scott Walker directed the Department of Health Services Friday to implement new plans to combat fraud in its public assistance programs, such as BadgerCare Plus and FoodShare.
The recommendations fall under Walker’s priority when taking office to stop wasting taxpayer dollars. Walker said the BadgerCare program, which DHS said is used by more than 300,000 Wisconsin residents, will be strengthened after implementing his six strategies.
The strategies include requiring self-employed people who receive public assistance to submit tax returns, a pilot project in Milwaukee to verify and review all applications if a household member is self-employed, review data exchanges from information provided by individuals, in addition to creating a Recipient Fraud and Abuse Prevention Task Force.
“Our job in tracking and preventing fraud in Wisconsin’s public assistance programs is never done,” Walker said in a statement. “Our public assistance programs are a safety net for individuals and families in need, and in order to keep these programs viable and sustainable over the long-term, the integrity of these programs must be maintained.”
Assembly Committee on Health member, Rep. Daniel Riemer, D-Milwaukee, said preventing fraud in such programs is a good idea, since these programs are intended for those in need, not the rich.
However, Riemer added the language used oftentimes by politicians can lend itself to the idea that everyone on such programs is committing fraud.
“It tends to vilify people who are taking advantage of these programs and not committing fraud,” Riemer said. “By connecting fraud to the nature of these programs, it equates people taking advantage of the program are somehow defrauding the system.”
Riemer added preventing fraud at all levels of government, not just programs to benefit the needy, is important.
Kitty Rhoades, DHS secretary, said in a statement the department’s leadership team, in addition to its Office of Inspector General, will use Walker’s recommendations to address issues in their programs.
In the first half of 2013, the OIG has avoided $8 million in public assistance fraud, with $12.3 million avoided in 2012, according to the DHS.
The office of the OIG has grown from one employee in 2011 tracking fraud in the Medicaid and FoodShare programs, to more than 90 employees in 2013, the DHS statement said.
Walker’s recommendations also include a quarterly report from the OIG to the Joint Finance Committe on its progress in implementing his recommendations.
Rep. Sandy Pasch, D-Shorewood, a ranking member of the Assembly Health Committee said state GOP members are too focused on waste and fraud, but spend taxpayer dollars on other issues like school voucher programs.
“The hypocrisy is stunning — while Wisconsin Republicans tirade about small-time waste, fraud and abuse, they are happy to give away millions of dollars in taxpayer money through loans that are not tracked at the WEDC, private schools with no accountability and giving high-paying jobs to political cronies,” Pasch said in an email to The Badger Herald.
Pasch said providing access to healthcare should be a focus as Wisconsin is behind the rest of the country in economic growth, rather than increasing stress on families using such programs.
Calls to Assembly Health Committee chair, Rep. Erik Severson, R-Star Prairie, were not returned.
