GAO says Head Start fraud started with agency chiefs (more Milwaukee fraud)

jsonline ^ | 5/20/2010 | john diedrich

[milwguy]

Head Start agency bosses have pressured their front-line workers to fudge applicants' income in order to boost enrollment numbers and rake in more government money, an official with a federal watchdog agency said Wednesday.

Workers were warned they might be laid off if they didn't keep enrollment up, according to insiders and e-mails obtained by the Government Accountability Office, said Gregory Kutz, managing director of forensic audits and special investigations for the GAO.

Head Start workers counted children twice, labeled middle-class families as "homeless" and coached applicants on how to hide their income, Kutz said.

The GAO announced Tuesday that it had found fraud at eight operations across the country, including at two in Wisconsin.

The GAO did 15 undercover operations at centers in six states, including Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C. The agency chose the centers, in part, because they had openings. Only 44 of 550 Head Start programs nationwide had openings. The rest have wait lists, GAO said.

Federal laws allow 10% of a Head Start center's enrollment to have incomes higher than 130% of the poverty line. The GAO, however, found at a center in Texas that 44% of the families were over that line, including two that each made more than $100,000, according to the report.

"There is a possibility in Head Start of people with income over $100,000 getting served and people with no income getting wait-listed," Kutz said.

[milwguy]

First it was the day care center scam run by the State of Wisconsin that was ripped off for tens of millions of taxpayer dollars by inner city scam artists who set up day care centers, enrolled fake kids, and claimed they watched them for up to 20 hours a day.

Now we have a Federal Gov't program being scammed by the same 'needy' folks. The 7.2 Billion $ a year the Feds are spending in taxpayer money amounts to $8,000 per kid! What are we getting for the money spent that justifies INCREASING the program by another 2 BILLION?

It is obvious the gov't has lost total control over these massive programs and can't be trusted to run anything effectively. These people want to be in charge of your health care?

[RC2]

The more government programs, the more fraud. Maybe that’s the sole reason for the programs. Along with that, the more programs you have, the harder it is to get rid of them. People know this..........just look at ACORN, they have split up into different programs. Now, instead of looking simply at ACORN, you have to look at all of them independently.

[Clintons Are White Trash]

Head Start and DSS Child care money is an easy rip off. It’s all about the attendance records and very rarely does anyone check up on it.

I refused to cheat on the forms when I worked for one and they gave that part of my job to the person in the office next to me. The next month our income went up $10,000. The next month I was laid off.

[subterfuge]

Head Start workers counted children twice, labeled middle-class families as "homeless" and coached applicants on how to hide their income, Kutz said.

This is small potatoes compared to what is going on in American public schools at all levels.

[kittymyrib]

Sounds as though this bunch of thieves would give ACORN a run for its money in the fraud catagory.

[Maine Mariner]

About 40-45 years ago, the children of a well known lawyer who was well off were enrolled in the Head Start program in Fargo, ND. There were not enough disadvantaged children that were in the program to justify the budget so the requirements were “relaxed” to allowed the quota to be met.

I suspect over the years this has occurred quite often.

[ridesthemiles]

Head Start fraud started with Jesse Jackson.

He trained the rest by example.

[ridesthemiles]

Head Start fraud started with Jesse Jackson.

He trained the rest by example.

[vaudine]

Years ago, I was on the board for area Head Start. I was not impressed. It is supposed to give kids a "head start" on learning; what it is--a glorified tax funded baby sitting service, and considered so by many head start moms--gives those on welfare a free morning to watch tv and gossip. Because of their home environment, most studies have shown the impetus gained is lost by start of real school and these children do no better than the rest. There are, of course the handful of exceptions that prove the rule.

Parents are encouraged to "be involved", and feel free to put in their 42 cents instead of their 2 cents. Some of their outrageous suggestions are actually given credance.

In theory, Head Start is like most socialist programs--good intentions which are totally divorced from real outcome. It, like ACORN, is fraud waiting to happen. And like many other socialist programs, most of th money goes to assuage the egos of bureaucrats and gives them some power to exploit.

vaudine

[vaudine]

Years ago, I was on the board for area Head Start. I was not impressed. It is supposed to give kids a "head start" on learning; what it is--a glorified tax funded baby sitting service, and considered so by many head start moms--gives those on welfare a free morning to watch tv and gossip. Because of their home environment, most studies have shown the impetus gained is lost by start of real school and these children do no better than the rest. There are, of course the handful of exceptions that prove the rule.

Parents are encouraged to "be involved", and feel free to put in their 42 cents instead of their 2 cents. Some of their outrageous suggestions are actually given credance.

In theory, Head Start is like most socialist programs--good intentions which are totally divorced from real outcome. It, like ACORN, is fraud waiting to happen. And like many other socialist programs, most of th money goes to assuage the egos of bureaucrats and gives them power to exploit and bucks to line their bank account.Most board members, like me, serve as a community service, but managers, workers are tax funded.

vaudine

[litehaus]

Successful Beer Distributorships were -——started with Jesse Jackson. ..(Via Blackmail and sons who needed jobs)