Westfield Mayor Daniel M. Knapik congratulates Ted Perez and his son, Ted Perez Jr., after reading a proclamation honoring the Perez family for their achievement of creating East Mountain Country Club and operating it for 50 years. Applauding are State Sen. Michael R. Knapik and State Rep. Don Humason.The Perez family celebrated the anniversary by offering “throwback pricing” at the original cost for the course, $2 for a round or $1 for nine holes. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
Westfield came out in great fashion Monday to observe Memorial Day and to honor, remember, and thank our country’s veterans. It was a beautiful day for a parade and the route was lined with men, women, and children waving flags and decked out in their red, white, and blue. Afterwards, hundreds stayed for the ceremony across from Parker Memorial Park.
I want to congratulate Ted & Maria Perez and the Perez family on the celebration of the Golden Anniversary this past Wednesday of East Mountain Country Club which opened to the public exactly 50 years ago in Westfield.
I’m not much of a boxing fan but anybody who follows sports has heard of the famous boxing match in November 1980 between Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran II when, in the eighth round, after being out-boxed and pummeled the entire fight, Duran turned away from Leonard and said to the referee, “No mas, no mas.” He was giving up, saying, “no more, no more” because he couldn’t take it any longer. Leonard won the fight and regained the WBC Welterweight Championship.
Why do I bring up this story? Because I feel like the Massachusetts Legislature may finally be getting to that point with all the waste, fraud, and abuse in the beleaguered state welfare system. I know the taxpayers have gotten there. I know the Republican House and Senate caucus has been fed up with it for a while now.
State Auditor Suzanne Bump, a Democrat, released the results of an audit of the Department of Transitional Assistance on Tuesday which uncovered examples of welfare benefits being used after the recipients were dead, welfare benefits being used outside of Massachusetts, benefits being used inappropriately, as well as a lack of proper documentation by the DTA to ensure that only eligible individuals received these taxpayer-funded benefits.
In case you missed the story this week, the State House News Service did a terrific article about the issue, parts of which I’ve quoted below:
“Republican lawmakers who have repeatedly pressed for welfare system and EBT card reforms hope news the state welfare agency was paying benefits to dead people will be the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ to force changes.
“Rep. Shaunna O’Connell, a Taunton Republican, said a state auditor’s report released Tuesday proves the need for reforms in a system ‘infested with abuse.’ She called the Department of Transitional Assistance – which oversees $1.7 billion in state and federal benefits – a ‘runaway train.’
“O’Connell, who said she grew up in public housing with her parents, said fraud in the system is hurting people who truly need benefits. ‘We need to save this program. This program is being destroyed by people who are looking away from fraud,’ O’Connell said Wednesday at a press conference detailing reform proposals.
“Rep. James Miceli, the only Democrat who stood with Republicans at the press conference, said his Democratic colleagues are ‘getting restless,’ and the latest news about welfare fraud could push lawmakers to pass reforms. ‘A lot of Democrats are really upset with this, and I think you are going to see it reflected in some votes down the road,’ said Miceli, who has served in the House since 1977. Miceli (D-Wilmington) called the state’s welfare system a ‘disaster’ that wastes millions of dollars. ‘Bottom-line the system isn’t working, and it is a horrible system,’ he said.
“The state auditor discovered 1,164 cases where welfare benefits worth nearly $2.4 million continued to flow to enrollees after they were deceased or to recipients using a dead person’s Social Security number. In some cases, store purchases and ATM transactions were made after a recipient’s date of death, pointing to unauthorized people using the welfare benefits, according to the auditor’s report.
“Auditor Suzanne Bump said DTA did not do enough to validate Social Security numbers and there was not enough emphasis within the agency on preventing fraud and abuse. One in eight people in the state receive welfare benefits through DTA. Health and Human Services Secretary John Polanowicz said the auditor did not provide DTA with detailed information on the majority of the cases identified in the report, ‘and therefore we cannot verify those findings.’
“O’Connell and other lawmakers said DTA should be required to validate Social Security numbers before anyone receives a ‘dime of taxpayers’ money.’ The practice of self-declaration, allowing someone to give their Social Security number without verification, or the use of temporary numbers, needs to end, they said.
“Lawmakers also renewed their call for photos on electronic benefit cards (EBT), a proposal House lawmakers passed in the fiscal year 2013 state budget, but the Senate did not include in its version. DTA also needs to stop reissuing cards to people who have requested more than four new cards, lawmakers said. O’Connell estimates more than 1,000 cards a day are replaced by the department.
“The audit report said more than 9,800 people requested and received 10 or more EBT replacement cards since 2006, with one individual receiving as many as 127 cards. DTA officials said starting in December 2012 they began monitoring clients who request four or more replacement cards within a 12-month period.
“Rep. James Lyons, an Andover Republican, said taxpayers are being forced to subsidize people who defraud the system. Lyons said he has repeatedly asked the Patrick administration to detail spending on benefits. ‘To date, the governor refuses to answer those questions. So my question is to the governor, governor is it that you have absolutely no idea where our tax dollars are going? Or is it that you do know and what we are finding out by different reports from the inspector general and the auditor is that the hardworking taxpayers are being continually forced to subsidize those folks who are breaking the rules,’ Lyons said.
“DTA officials say they have already taken action to correct the problems, pointing to a 100-day action plan released in March aimed at preventing fraud. ‘There is no amount of fraud or waste or abuse that I will tolerate. One dollar is too much,’ Interim DTA Commissioner Stacey Monahan said in a conference call with reporters Tuesday… In some cases, welfare benefits to the deceased continued for six to 27 months. Monahan said she does not know how it went on for so long, adding she was appointed to address problems.”
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of the Westfield News.
Representative Don Humason and his Chief of Staff Maura Cassin McCarthy may be reached at their Westfield District Office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, (413) 568-1366.
Representative Don Humason may be reached at his Boston office, State House Room 542, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 722-2803.
Email address: [email protected]
Website: www.DonHumason.org
