OLYMPIA — Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services is taking steps to fight welfare fraud.
DSHS Secretary Susan Dreyfus has asked former Eastern Washington U.S. Attorney James McDevitt for a report on the public assistance system. That report will go to former Franklin County Prosecutor Steve Lowe, who has been hired to run an office in charge of accountability and program integrity.
KING-TV in Seattle reported that thousands of welfare recipients have been claiming state-issued debit cards are lost or stolen. The state replaces the cards, and some have been sold for drugs or cash. Dreyfus says the agency will make it harder for the cards to be replaced.
The Tri-City Herald reports Lowe will start in May, leading state criminal investigators and working with county prosecutors.
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