By Kate Elizabeth Queram Wisconsin Reporter
MADISON — Wisconsin’s state government costs taxpayers more than $260 million in wasted money each year, according to a recent report from a gubernatorial task force.
In an interim report released last week, Gov. Scott Walker’s Commission on Waste, Fraud and Abuse, a seven-member committee assembled in January, identified $266,555,737 in potential annual savings for state agencies — all from streamlining and improving current practices.
In the report, commission members chided state agencies for failing to control expenses the way residents have been forced to do in the wake of the recession.
“Wisconsin deserves a government that spends its financial resources just as carefully as the citizens of Wisconsin spend their own,” said Craig Rakowski, the commission’s chairman and president of James Craig Builders, in the report. “Everyone has been forced to take a closer look at how they spend their money. Our state government should be no different.”
The report targeted several areas for improvement, most notably the state’s public assistance programs, including Medicaid and FoodShare, which helps low-income residents buy food.
Those types of programs could save $177 million each year simply by weeding out recipients and applicants who don’t qualify, according to the report.
Some of that money is lost unintentionally, through providers entering incorrect billing codes or from applicants accidentally submitting the wrong information. But at least some money is wasted thanks to intentional deception, according the report.
“Recently, they had a case in which a self-employed individual with a $500,000 business and high-end cars made his family of five eligible for Medicaid by falsifying income,” the report reads. “This is possible because of relaxed program integrity policies and reduced oversight … it is unknown how many cases like this there are.”
This story says it is savings. stealing food off the table of the poor and are seniors is not a savings Street walker. It is a crime against the people. How sick can these anti christ get? Plotect a child expose a Good old perv. GOP.
This is a sick untrue story. Stealing food from the poor to give money to a billionaire is plain sick.
Wow. Now if Scooter could only run the state until his recall without screwing too much more up.
I read there was $5,000 reward for anyone witnessing a true statement from walker’s lips. I might know of a half true statement does that count? Walker stated in his campaign he would never do anything on Sunday or after 10pm. He said I tell my daughters nothing good happens after 10pm or Sundays. I found out later he has no daughters and everything he does is on Sunday or after 12pm. The true part is nothing good ever happens after 10pm. So far walker has done nothing good for Wisconsin. Has street walker ever told the truth. Everything with Walker is the opposite. His God is a DOG obviously.
This is great news. Pound the poor who get money they don’t need. Sorta like McDonald’s and Walmart getting grants from Walker to hire seasonal workers they were going to hire anyway.
Or the bucket manufacturer or creamerie or exhibit company that didn’t need the money but where sure as shootin’ happy to take it. Scotty had to get rid of the cash to prove he had a ‘crisis’ and everything.
Scott Walker, the ‘fiscal conservative’ has increased spending $1.1 billion. Doy.