"Closed 700 cases" but never said how many of those ended with a finding of fraud.
Says saved taxpayers more than "$45 Million"
Issa's committee said each case costs $300,000.
If these figures are valid, (a big if in each case) then the 700 cases produced 150 cases of fraud.
Every case of fraud is bad and should be punished when caught, but it seems the fraud batting average is just barely over the Mendoza line in cases that were brought to the attention of this elite unit.
There will always be scam artists in Government Programs or check out counters at Target or phony charity boxes in stores or even in corporate boardrooms alike Citi Bank or Merril Lynch. Its not just the Government. The actual fraud rate in Government programs has never been shown to be higher than in other areas.
I wouldn't get too hung up on the "batting average" in fraud cases. As an initial matter, not every fraud case is reported to the Office of Inspector General. When cases are reported, the standard of proof for fraud is much higher than the standard of proof for obtaining disability benefits. It's convenient when someone who reportedly can't get out of bed is caught doing wind-sprints on camera, but it's difficult to prove fraud in every case where a claimant exaggerates his/her symptoms and gets a doctor he/she sees once every six months to check all the right boxes on a questionnaire. Those cases generally fly under the radar, but they are no less of an affront to the Social Security disability system.
2 comments:
"Closed 700 cases" but never said how many of those ended with a finding of fraud.
Says saved taxpayers more than "$45 Million"
Issa's committee said each case costs $300,000.
If these figures are valid, (a big if in each case) then the 700 cases produced 150 cases of fraud.
Every case of fraud is bad and should be punished when caught, but it seems the fraud batting average is just barely over the Mendoza line in cases that were brought to the attention of this elite unit.
There will always be scam artists in Government Programs or check out counters at Target or phony charity boxes in stores or even in
corporate boardrooms alike Citi Bank or Merril Lynch. Its not just the Government. The actual fraud rate in Government programs has never been shown to be higher than in other areas.
But breathless reports will never tell you that.
I wouldn't get too hung up on the "batting average" in fraud cases. As an initial matter, not every fraud case is reported to the Office of Inspector General. When cases are reported, the standard of proof for fraud is much higher than the standard of proof for obtaining disability benefits. It's convenient when someone who reportedly can't get out of bed is caught doing wind-sprints on camera, but it's difficult to prove fraud in every case where a claimant exaggerates his/her symptoms and gets a doctor he/she sees once every six months to check all the right boxes on a questionnaire. Those cases generally fly under the radar, but they are no less of an affront to the Social Security disability system.
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