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I don't know why having dead people surprises you, since a chunk of the low income recipients are the elderly or diabled with health problems, and they tend to die eventually. Since when do elderly people all vote D?
If the family doesn't know to end the phone, or if there is no family, then things like that are going to happen unless the government has the staffing to monitor the program closely and make sure that information on benefits/death gets from one department to another on a timely basis. Eligibility issues would concern me more, but again, if you're dealing with elderly or disabled recipients, it's not always easy to get the information from them to verify down the road either. My parents are in their 80s, both of them are sharp as a tack still, but they're at a point where we kids have to help them sort some issues/paperwork out now. Again--if there are no kids to help, or the kids don't understand it, it's going to be an issue. It's a normal part of life.
For the record, the phones aren't paid for through your income tax dollars--it's covered by an additional fee on your phone bill.
That fee is completely owned by the FCC which is the government. And the FCC is the one who controls the amount and it has been raised and will be raised even more since the FCC decided to move to smartphones with data plans now.
And it wasn't the plans but actual phones received by people whose parents were dead for some time.
Did you even read the second link I posted ? You don't just get free phones mailed to you without signing up.
It's not government staffing that monitors..they gave that job to the phone companies.
The government just put the rules in place that the phone companies had to follow..let the people self-certify. The reform was making the phone companies see documentation.
Too many people shrug off and make up their own excuses why fraud and corruption happens and dismiss it all to easily.
Regardless of party affiliation..HOLD YOUR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE for the programs it invents and administers.
I don't know why having dead people surprises you, since a chunk of the low income recipients are the elderly or diabled with health problems, and they tend to die eventually. Since when do elderly people all vote D?
If the family doesn't know to end the phone, or if there is no family, then things like that are going to happen unless the government has the staffing to monitor the program closely and make sure that information on benefits/death gets from one department to another on a timely basis. Eligibility issues would concern me more, but again, if you're dealing with elderly or disabled recipients, it's not always easy to get the information from them to verify down the road either. My parents are in their 80s, both of them are sharp as a tack still, but they're at a point where we kids have to help them sort some issues/paperwork out now. Again--if there are no kids or family to help, or they don't understand it, it's going to be an issue. It's a normal part of life.
For the record, the phones aren't paid for through your income tax dollars--it's covered by an additional fee on your phone bill.
Yeah that's certainly what is happening, the 41% in question are all legitimate cases where elderly people have died or qualified people who simply don't have time to send in paperwork.
Yeah that's certainly what is happening, the 41% in question are all legitimate cases where elderly people have died or qualified people who simply don't have time to send in paperwork.
Notice how it's dismissed so easily by some....
41% is no small number. That program tripled in costs in a mere 4 years.
Government programs have turned into candy stores for anyone that shows up and says "sure, I'm poor" and don't have to prove it.
Oh there's backlash from these free phone advocates.
They're telling Congress that "it's a choice between getting food for your family and paying for a cellphone to use for 911 emergencies". How's that for going to the extreme ?
Whenever these programs get highlighted for fraud and abuse the voices come out of the shadows with cries of dealth and starvation of the poor.
I have no tears of sympathy. People had 6 months to go verify their eligibility.
Cut them all off.
It's just a typical, poorly run and managed federal program. No one in charge gave a crap because it's not their money going into the program, and now it's gotten out of control, and people are taking notice.
That fee is completely owned by the FCC which is the government. And the FCC is the one who controls the amount and it has been raised and will be raised even more since the FCC decided to move to smartphones with data plans now.
And it wasn't the plans but actual phones received by people whose parents were dead for some time.
Did you even read the second link I posted ? You don't just get free phones mailed to you without signing up.
It's not government staffing that monitors..they gave that job to the phone companies.
The government just put the rules in place that the phone companies had to follow..let the people self-certify. The reform was making the phone companies see documentation.
Too many people shrug off and make up their own excuses why fraud and corruption happens and dismiss it all to easily.
Regardless of party affiliation..HOLD YOUR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE for the programs it invents and administers.
I didn't read your second link (sorry) but you still made my point. The program isn't adequately monitored. The fee goes through the phone company vs. the feds, and the phone companies are responsible for verifying the information and monitoring the program. How is the phone company going to know if you died and your benefits ended? There must be some kind of good deal in it for the phone companies (like customers funded by the government with guaranteed payments) if they were so quick to hand out phones without verification--even to dead people who don't request them--and they wanted to administer the program themselves. It's good that the government is stepping in to demand stronger accountability. As far as the lack of response to verification though--that still doesn't surprise me, and I'm betting a chunk of it can be attributed to elderly customers getting something in the mail that they don't understand.
It's just a typical, poorly run and managed federal program. No one in charge gave a crap because it's not their money going into the program, and now it's gotten out of control, and people are taking notice.
I think the problem is that the feds WEREN'T involved in running it. They left it to the phone companies, who had a different agenda. I'm a strong believer in smaller government, but businesses are going to act in their own self interest first unless regs and rules are put in place. That's just common sense.
I'm glad this fraud is being exposed!
President Reagen started this nonsense and I think it's
about time we start cutting money bleeding Republican
programs!
We should start looking for more of them, but for the
phone service for the poor, this will definately help us
get rid of the National debt.
Keep looking!
This is why I argue that a large portion of our debt could be dealt with and not a single legitimate person or program would be affected.
This is great that someone is actually addressing this and it needs addressed but there are others areas with even more fraud and waste.
The funds used from the program aren't from your income taxes/general revenue.
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Since when do elderly people all vote D? 
