Welfare recipient verification

Rep. Allen Andrews

The members of the Missouri House advanced legislation that would allow the state to more efficiently and proficiently verify applicants and recipients of welfare services.

The bill would allow the Missouri Department of Social Services to hire an outside, third party vendor to conduct the verification process for applicants for the state’s various welfare programs.

In addition to screening applicants, the company hired by the state would work to re-verify current enrollees.

In effect, the vendor would work to ensure recipients and applicants are in fact eligible for programs such as food stamps and other welfare programs. In cases where the vendor finds suspected cases of fraud, it would then notify the department, which would investigate and potentially remove the recipient from the program.

The bill is meant to help the department ensure accuracy in the welfare rolls, which is a process it has admittedly fallen behind in performing.

The sponsor of the bill said the change has the added benefit of possibly saving the state more than $20 million over the next three years by eliminating waste and fraud from the system.

Other states that have hired third party vendors to screen welfare recipients and applicants have seen millions of dollars in savings as a result.

The social services department is fully supportive of the change, and is already accepting bids from vendors.