The Untold Story of Welfare Fraud by Richelle Swan covers a very interesting topic on how the country’s welfare system works and how the same system is becoming a hindrance to women in need of welfare. The article touches on pertinent issues that are akin to the effects of the aftermath of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act implemented in 1996. Upon the implementation of PRWORA several rules and regulations came into force to try help curb fraud that emanates from social welfare in the country. The article discusses the issues associated with welfare fraud as a felony and why the same should not be the case going ahead to offer an alternative solution to the problem having looked at the underlying issues that make welfare women find themselves on the wrong end of the law on issues of welfare fraud.
The article agrees that there is need for rules and regulations when it comes to welfare and that those that go against the rules should face a just process to ascertain their wrongs. It further goes ahead to give a detailed description on what welfare fraud is all about and how women find themselves in the same. Welfare fraud occurs when beneficiaries fail to report their correct personal incomes or when they fail to report any other form of income may be from a husband or boyfriend this making the government to give them support without making proper calculations. It then means that in many cases the beneficiaries get more support than that which one is entitled to according to the set rules and regulations of the program. When this happens the government agents then charge these women with welfare fraud which becomes part of felony charges and thus forms part of their criminal records. The unfortunate bit is that as these women try to look for gainful employment such convictions become part of their files and thus any background check on them revealing the same denies them the possibility of a serious employment.
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It is however important to note that many are the times that these women do not engage in welfare fraud out of their own free will. These women at times commit such frauds unknowingly or simply because of the negligence of the caseworkers or even at times they are pushed to the wall by life circumstances. A good example is Catherine from the article whose husband was living away from her family for two months and was employed but she was not aware and so could not report the income from the husband. Upon learning of the same, she did report but the caseworkers gave her wrong procedures on the same making her face a welfare fraud charge. Raquel another beneficiary did give her paychecks to a receptionist of the caseworker and the documents got misplaced but the unfortunate bit is that she did face charges of fraud. These two examples serve to show that women in many cases are victims of circumstances and welfare fraud is not something that majority of them commit willfully. Welfare fraud comes in as a result of omission, lack of knowledge on the same or a negligence on the side of the caseworkers.
The Welfare Fraud Diversion program is a welcome idea in San Diego, California as it helps to critically deal with the underlying issues leading to welfare fraud among the poor women. It offers poverty knowledge and alternative resolution mechanism so that the women do not have to suffer stigma and carry the criminal records in their personal files for life. It helps deal with the stereotypes and help the poor women access opportunities as many are the times that they get into welfare fraud unknowingly.
