Gov't: Unemployment Fraud Growing

AP via Newsday ^ | June 11, 2002, 2:28 PM EDT | LEIGH STROPE

[Jean S]

Overpayments or fraudulent claims made up about 8 percent of the $30 billion in unemployment benefits paid last year, the government says.

About $2.4 billion in benefits were overpaid to people last year, including $560 million stemming from fraud and abuse, Labor Department officials told a House Ways and Means subcommittee Tuesday.

An audit conducted in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas revealed that nearly 3,000 claims totaling about $3.2 million were paid to people using Social Security numbers that did not exist or belonged to dead people. Illegal aliens filed a large portion of those claims.

[ReadMyMind]

$560 million in fraud and abuse out of $30 billion? $2.4 billion in overpayment, only $560 million of which is due to fraud and abuse? Does that mean the other $1.84 billion is due to government error? That'd mean 3 of every 4 wasted dollars is due to the government screwing up. While cheaters only account for 1 out of 4 wasted dollars.

Apparently, 8% of all dollars going out in unemployment claims is misdirected according to this article. That seems stunningly efficient for a big government program.

Compare this with farm subsidy bills that are sold to taxpayers as a measure meant to preserve family farms. When they do the final accounting, they find that these programs give like 8% to small farmers and 92% to large corporations that provide lots of money to politicians.

[aimhigh]

The Fed's have continued to cut administrative funding for unemployment insurance programs for years. This is the result. Like most government programs, they are overfunded in the beginning, and then slowly cut until nothing works right.

[willyone]

We need more illegal aliens. Get on it Jorge.

[4Freedom]

Illegal aliens committing fraud? That can't be true. Everyone knows that illegal aliens only come here to work and do the jobs that Americans won't do.

This article is a deliberate attempt to besmirch the reputations of these future RINO's.

>sarcasm<