About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

GGD-82-15 1 (1981-11-09)

handle is hein.gao/gaobabcqd0001 and id is 1 raw text is: UNITED STATES GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D.C. 20548 DIVISION G KAL o- - -MEN Il I N l I III I II 116838 NOVEMBUR 9, 1981 B-205381 The Honorable Marion S. Barry, Jr. Mayor of the District of Columbia Washington, D.C. 20004 Dear Mayor Barry: Subject: More Vigorous Action Needs to be Taken to Reduce Erroneous Payments to Recipients of the Aid to Families With Dependent Children Program (GGD-82-15) The Income Maintenance Administration (IMA) in the Department of Human Services (DHS), which is responsible for administering the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) Program, has made some improvements in reducing erroneous benefit pyments. However, more vigorous action needs to be taken if the error rate is to be reduced to the federally mandated 4-percent level. Also, the District should increase its efforts in developing and prose- cuting cases in which recipients fraudulently obtained benefit payments. For many years the District of Columbia has had ar excessive AFDC payment error rate, with a high of 32 percent in 978 and a current rate of about 11 percent. Many of the causes are contin- uing problems dating back to 1976 that have been report.ed by GAO and others. OBJECTIVES, SCOPE, AND METHODOLOGY The purpose of our review was to assess the Depar.ment of Human Services' efforts to reduce erroneous payments. We concen- trated our work on the AFDC program because it compris s most of IMA's workload. DHS statistics show that about 56 perpent of all households that participate in the Food Stamp Program snd 72 per- cent of persons eligible for Medicaid also receive AFD benefits. Actions which result in loss of eligibility for AFDC benefits also could result in loss of eligibility for food stam s and Medicaid. Our review was made during the latter part of 1980 and early part of 1981 at various offices within DHS which have !responsibi- lity for administering assistance programs. We also Met with of- ficials of the Department of Health and Human Services, the De- partment of Agriculture, other State and local jurisdictions, and the Offices of the District's Corporation Counsel and the United States Attorney. (427620)

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most