According to a new report from the Massachusetts state auditor, well over 1,000 corpses are receiving welfare benefits, including food stamps.
The Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) audit shows 1,164 dead welfare recipients receiving $2.39 million over the course of six to 27 months after plotzing. The report states that in “a majority of sampled cases, store purchases, and ATM transactions were made after the recipients’ dates of death, suggesting that unauthorized persons were using public benefits.”
The audit also shows that food stamp benefits are going to individuals who live out of state or being used in resort towns such as Las Vegas–even in the Virgin Islands.
The Boston Herald found “the state overpaid $27 million to food stamp recipients and then paid another $3.4 million in employee overtime to correct problems.”
Massive welfare fraud has routinely plagued state and federal programs; the same holds true for other entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare.