For a long time Sullivan County has been known throughout New York State as a destination for those seeking public assistance. Without a doubt anyone who needs assistance should receive it, but fraud and abuse of the system must come to an end. I am thankful to see that several legislators are on a mission to do just that.
Legislators Cindy Kurpil Gieger, Kitty Vetter, Gene Benson, and Cora Edwards held a press conference Tuesday outside of the Department of Family Services outlining an initiative for welfare reform in Sullivan County and to put an end to fraud.
The press conference was called days after arrests by the New York State Police involving alleged employee participation in welfare fraud at the Department of Family Services. Other arrests in the Department of Family Services Employee Scandal are said to be imminent.
The legislators, who said they also have the support of legislator Alan Sorensen who was not at the press conference, said their goal is to change Sullivan County from being known as a welfare destination into being a resort destination.
Visibly absent from the press conference were legislators Scott Samuelson, Jonathan Rouis, Kathleen LaBuda, and Ira Steingart.
Gieger said among the reforms she and her fellow legislators attending the press conference will focus on include:
1. Reinstate Legal position within the Health and Family Division under the direction of Commissioner Randy Parker to review and reform programs
2. Review of the Divisions Legal Department focusing on programs effecting children and their families making a priority the safety of children
3. Set policies for verification of all active Medicaid vendors and provide oversight of all Safety Net cases which carry a tremendous county cost
4. Changes in Whistleblower / Work Environment policies to address the handling of complaints to ensure employees complaints are taken seriously and addressed in a timely manner that employees are encouraged to disclose wrongdoing to their supervisor without fear of retaliation in a confidential manner.
The Fraud Investigations Unit that was formed thanks to the leadership of Gieger as chair of the Health and Family Services Committee has been making a dramatic dent in stopping welfare fraud in Sullivan County.
The fraud unit headed by Gerard Dietz has reportedly been saving Sullivan County residents “millions that would otherwise have been dispersed to individuals who falsely file applications for assistance and neglect to provide support for their children.
To date:
• A new Fraud Hotline has been established and Sullivan County residents are being encouraged to report welfare fraud.
• Tips received through calls on the new hotline as well as other venues are actively investigated in a timely manner.
• Investigations have led to 39 arrests for welfare fraud.
• Currently the Fraud Unit is working to recover monies paid to recipients that filed applications fraudulently.
• A total of $36,678 is currently being repaid to the Department of Family Services as a result of the efforts of the Fraud Unit.
• The investigation team is actively pursuing individuals neglecting to pay child support arrears.
• Between January 2013 and October 2013, utilizing the Front End Detection Program, a total of 1,175 applications were withdrawn or denied preventing fraud and ultimately saving the County a total of $13,607,700.
• The Eligibility Verification Review Program is designed to randomly review cases, as of the end of October this program has saved the county $2,135,742.
The recent arrests of employees lead one to ask some serious questions.
It is time that those who were in charge in the past, and some in the very present, are held accountable. Where was the oversight all these years? Why were complaints of employee fraud discarded in the past as being untrue and unfounded?
What does Colleen Cunningham, the Senior Attorney in DFS Legal and a former political powerbroker in Sullivan County, and her brother Chris Cunningham who was the past chairman of the Legislature and former Commissioner of Health and Family Services prior to Parker have to say about all this? Where is County Attorney Sam Yasgur?
And then there is David Sager – who really ordered his firing and why?
As hard as it is to believe, some people have been critical of Sullivan County’s fraud crackdown stating that the focus should be on medical and other types of corporate welfare fraud and not be about people figuring out a way to get some extra money for food and housing. Nonetheless, fraud is fraud.
As Gieger said, “Investigations are now ongoing with the goal to root out and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. We will identify and address policies and procedures throughout county government that limit information needed to address these very real concerns. Today we are sending a message throughout government and the county as a whole. Sullivan County is on the road to reform. Business will be conducted in a better way to protect employees concerned about the delivery of services to our people and to provide accountability for our taxpayer dollars but most importantly to protect Medicaid funding for those in need.”
Kitty Vetter, vice chair of the health and family services committee said, “Our County is at a turning point that will, I believe be a help for all its citizens. The old way of doing business will no longer be so simple. Our positive future is now on our horizon. I am proud to stand here and be a part of this.”
Vetter added, “Our family services committee is looking into a more aggressive legal department within the Department that would work harder to insuring that only those who deserve help get it. In the past, Social Services had a legal department manager, other counties have the legal section under the County’s Attorney’s Office. We are exploring what would work best for us.”
Gene Benson, Vice Chairman of the Sullivan County Legislature, commenting on the recent fraud investigations told me, “I believe that we have taken a positive step to ensure that the residents of Sullivan County will not be taken advantage of anymore. The people who truly need benefits should be able to get them without worrying that these benefits are being wasted on people who are trying to cheat the system.”
Public Safety and Law Enforcement Committee Chairperson Legislator Cora Edwards commenting on the explosive investigation on the welfare fraud arrests of employees said, “This marks the day that Sullivan County changes from being a Benefits Destination to becoming a Resort Destination as it should be.”
Edwards said Sullivan County needs to “provide opportunities for people so that we’re not a county that’s dependent on benefits.” Earlier this week she called for the collaboration with Sullivan County Community College and Sullivan BOCES to teach courses in hospitality and gaming table employment to prepare our workforce for resort destinations.
Edwards added, “All credit to Health and Family Services Chairperson Legislator Cindy Kurpil Gieger and the team for their courage and determination.”
Putting an end to welfare fraud should not be a political issue. I implore all nine legislators to join Gieger, Vetter, Edwards, Benson, and Sorensen in their efforts.
Bill Liblick has made a name for himself on National TV Talk Shows where he spouted his outspoken views from the front row. Now he offers you his opinion every week in the “MOUTH THAT ROARS” Column in THE SULLIVAN COUNTY POST.
Here are Cindy Gieger, chair of the legislature’s Health and Family Services Committee, comments from the Press Conference.
Good Morning. I am Cindy Kurpil Gieger, SC Legislator and Chair of the Health and Family Committee overseeing the SC Department of Family Services. I am here today with my fellow legislators, Commissioner Parker and members of the SC Fraud Investigative Team to discuss the recent events culminating in the arrests of three DFS employees. First of all, I want to make it perfectly clear that Sullivan County has many dedicated ,honest, and hardworking employees doing a tremendous job to ensure that our homeless, poor, and needy are provided for and for this we are thankful. There are also many dedicated and concerned employees who have, on numerous occasions, filed complaints trying to be heard but have become frustrated by the efforts of some to suppress information. This legislature through a bipartisan effort took the lead and moved forward, despite hurdles, to support the efforts of Commissioner Randy Parker and the Fraud Investigative Team under the direction of Investigator Gerald Dietz to address long overdue complaints.
Investigations are now ongoing with the goal to root out and prevent fraud ,waste, and abuse. We will identify and address policies and procedures throughout county government that limit information needed to address these very real concerns. Today we are sending a message throughout government and the county as a whole. Sullivan County is on the road to reform. Business will be conducted in a better way to protect employees concerned about the delivery of services to our people and to provide accountability for our taxpayer dollars but most importantly to protect Medicaid funding for those in need.
How did we get here?
In contemplating the events since January of 2012, it was a good day when this current legislature took the reins . Much has been accomplished and much has come to light. Realizing a broken system , we saw the need to address concerns of fraud, waste, and abuse. By assisting Commissioner Parker, in a little over a year, we have created the first SC Fraud Investigative Team to root out fraud. These efforts have saved millions of tax dollars, have led to efforts to improve housing for our homeless and have moved forward efforts to reform our Foster Care and Child Protective programs to ensure protection of our most vulnerable …our children. Sullivan County is moving in the right direction.
While much has come to light and much progress made, there is more to be done. Most telling are Sullivan Countys ratings in poverty, poor health, and rising crime. However this comes with the realization that years of a lack of oversight has led to streams of Medicaid funding moving through hundreds upon hundreds of Medicaid shelters many of which are unverified amounting to millions upon millions of tax dollars much sent outside this county to addresses elsewhere. Make no mistake many Medicaid vendors are accountable and providing a necessary service to our most vulnerable . The concern lies in the numbers of people coming to Sullivan County as a destination for benefits from numerous destinations outside Sullivan County who provide a county address reflecting numerous unverified shelters. As law enforcement works to keep us safe and those that really need assistance struggle many times to get it, a system allowing Sullivan county to become a point of entry for benefits is no longer sustainable. We need to rethink this picture with a new vision for Sullivan County.
Where are we going?
Today I am proposing reforms that will focus on several priorities:
#1. Reinstate Legal position within the Health and Family Division under the direction of the Commissioner Parker to review and reform programs
#2. Review of the Divisions Legal Department focusing on programs effecting children and their families making a priority the safety of children
#3. Set policies for verification of all active Medicaid vendors and provide oversight of all Safety Net cases which carry a tremendous county cost
#4.Changes in Whistleblower / Work Environment policies to address the handling of complaints to ensure employees complaints are taken seriously and addressed in a timely manner and that employees are encouraged to disclose wrongdoing to their superviser without fear of retaliation in a confidential manner.
Let it be known that change has not come easily but with my legislative colleagues …Gene Benson, Cora Edwards, Kitty Vetter, Alan Sorensen who offers his support of these efforts but was unable to be here this morning and …. and the dedication of several employees with the courage to refuse to remain silent.. all supporting the efforts of Commissioner Parker, Chief Fraud Investigator Gerald Dietz and members of the SC Fraud Investigative Team to address the issues head on.… we laud the efforts of the District Attorney Jim Farrell, the NYS Police under the direction of Chief Jamie Kaminsky in cooperation with the NYS Welfare Fraud Inspector General… conducting investigations. Also here today representing the Fraud Investigative Team is Sheriff Mike Schiff and village police Scott Kinne and Robert Muir…thank all for your role in making change happen.
I would like ,at this time, to invite comments from my colleagues as well as our Fraud Team members.
Thank you
Here are Kitty Vetter, vice chair of the legislature’s Health and Family Services Committee, comments from the Press Conference.
I just want to take this moment to Congratulate the team that brought these arrests to fruition. The State Troopers, the local Sherriff’s Department , the newly created Fraud unit run by Mr. Dietz Commissioner Parker . One year ago we the Legislators hired a New Commissioner of Family Services, Mr. Randy Parker. Mr. Parker had a great deal of work in front of him. The oversight of this Division in tales large sums of monies and people and needed someone willing to dig deep to research the causes of the problems. As most of you are aware there were many rumors from misuse of funds, the county being an easy target to get funds and problems with such things as Foster Care management and Housing issues to name just a few.
Randy and others worked hard to sift thru the rumors to seek the truth. It is because the combined efforts of this team that arrests have happened! I am proud to say they’ve done a Great Job & I look forward to more such accomplishments. This exciting positive change that is occurring in this Division marks I believe a new beginning for the county. Once the first crack occurs in any form of mismanagement leads to more people becoming willing to share knowledge of wrong doing and misuse because they begin to trust that the system will work again and that reporting abuse will not cause personal harm. The untold savings are more than monetary.
I therefore congratulate the team for a job well done! Our County is at a turning point that will, I believe be a help for all its citizens. The old way of doing business will no longer be so simple. Our positive future is now on our horizon. I am proud to stand here and be a part of this.
Our family services committee is looking into a more aggressive legal department within the Department that would work harder to insuring that only those who deserve help get it. In the past , Social Services had a legal department manager, other counties have the legal section under the County’s Attorney’s office .We are exploring what would work best for us.