Schaefer digs up MASSIVE Food Stamp Questions....

"Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel."
Proverbs 20:17

Dadgum; from Matt Schaefer's most recent newsletter:

Widespread Food Stamp Fraud?

$106.8 Million Spent Out-of-State with LoneStar Cards

Almost $5.7 billion of your tax dollars will be spent this year to assist Texans through the food stamp program. But is all of that money being used as it was intended? There are over 3.7 million Texans receiving food stamp government assistance, and much of the need is legitimate. However, I believe that greater scrutiny is needed in this program. For the last six months my staff and I have been researching Texas' food stamp program and getting into the details on how your tax dollars are being spent. The research uncovered nearly $107 million in Texas food stamp spending outside of the Lone Star State – with over sixty percent spent in non-bordering states. This raises important questions of accountability and likely fraud in the multi-billion dollar program.

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Schaefer Calls for More Agency Accountability, Legislation

What is the solution? This data is disturbing and shows a need for greater agency accountability in the program. I recently brought the information my office discovered to the leadership of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and the HHSC Office of Inspector General (OIG), which has promised to investigate the data thoroughly.

To address concerns of fraud, waste and abuse, HHSC is creating a Public Benefit Integrity Unit that will utilize computer analytics to better identify fraudulent applications before benefits are distributed. Verifying a recipient's identiy is critical to the integrity of this program because over 65 percent of those receiving state benefits (including food stamps) apply online. HHSC is also developing software to analyze IP address data to detect persons that are applying for benefits from a computer address that is out of state. These needed technological programs will provide better oversight to the program, but there is still work to be done on this issue.

My office will be monitoring this situation closely and will prepare legislation to address any problems it uncovers. Last legislative session I proposed a bill to add the recipient’s photo ID and name on the LoneStar cards to help deter fraud, but the bill faced opposition from special interest groups and never made it to the House floor for a vote. I will re-introduce the bill in the next legislative session.


TX Rep. Matt Schaefer's Proposed Redesign of the Texas LoneStar Card
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Massachusetts Ahead of Texas on Food Stamp Reform
Massachusetts has been proactive in deterring fraud by placing the name and photo of the recipient on their cards, just like on a bank card. If Massachusetts can do it, Texas can too. The goal is not to make it harder to use the card, but to make it more secure.
We all recognize the need to assist the less fortunate with life's basic needs in times of hardship, but we have an obligation to do everything we can to root out fraud, waste, and abuse. It’s not just a question of dollars, it’s about protecting the integrity of the food stamp program for the millions of Texans who depend on it, and the millions more who pay the tax dollars that support it.

Read the whole thing here.