USDA improperly pays millions to dead farmers, audit finds
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has improperly paid millions of dollars in aid to thousands of farmers after they have died, according to a government audit. An inspection of the department's crop insurance, disaster assistance and conservation programs found that $36.6 million had been issued to deceased recipients, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office said Monday.
The report said the findings "may call into question whether these farm safety net programs are benefiting the agricultural sector as intended." While the abuse represents a fraction of the $20 billion in annual federal subsidies for farm incomes, the report comes at a sensitive time when Congress is fighting over the cost of a yet-to-be-passed $1-trillion farm bill.
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The GAO report said neither the Risk Management Agency or Natural Resources Conservation Service had a system in place to cross check subsidy recipients with the Social Security Administration, which monitors the names of deceased Americans.
In a letter to the GAO, the USDA said it "generally agrees with the report's findings" and had recently received approval to use the Social Security Administration's death records.
http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-usda-dead-people-20130729,0,3034245.post
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