A state audit has revealed that Massachusetts has given out $18
million in “questionable public assistance benefits” in recent years, in
cases that included the distribution of benefits to more than 1,160
people who were either dead or using the Social Security number of a
deceased person.
In some cases, recipients began receiving benefits for the first time after their deaths.
The audit, issued Tuesday, covered cash, food stamps, and other
benefits intended for low-income families, and found millions of dollars
in irregular benefits and an urgent need for improved anti-fraud
security.
In 1,164 cases, deceased recipients continued to receive a total of
$2.39 million in benefits up to 27 months after they had been reported
dead. The state Department of Transitional Assistance also paid out at
least $368,000 benefits to 178 guardians who claimed deceased persons as
dependents, and $164,000 to 40 individuals being claimed by more than
one guardian.
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