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Massachusetts Uncovered This Much in Public Benefits Fraud

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Massachusetts Uncovered This Much in Public Benefits Fraud


Times are tough these days in Massachusetts and elsewhere. Every penny counts, and those who spend taxpayer money must be sure the funds are spent responsibly.

It’s only fair to those who foot the bill.

A recent investigation by Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s office has turned up nearly $3 million in public benefits fraud, money given to people who did not deserve it.

Some might argue that $3 million is a pittance compared to the totality of the state budget for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), estimated at $56 billion, but again, it is taxpayer money and should be spent accordingly.

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The State Auditor’s Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI) regularly audits spending for public benefits programs and usually uncovers some fraud. The most recent investigation was for October through December 2023, the second quarter of FY24.  

DiZoglio’s probe uncovered fraud in 96 of the 1,451 cases it reviewed. 

Massachusetts Uncovered This Much Public Benefits Fraud

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State House News Service says the investigation found $2,083,270.85 in MassHealth fraud; $692,851.50 in fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); $74,195.05 in the Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children program; $7,909.33 in fraud connected to the Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children program; and $796.95 in fraud linked to the Personal Care Attendant Program. 

DiZoglio’s office said the investigation recovered $228,185.97 through restitution settlements.

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A statement accompanying the Bureau’s report states, “As a result of BSI’s investigations, public assistance fraud cases are referred to agencies for administrative action, fraudulent overpayments are recovered through civil agreements, individuals are disqualified from programs for specified periods of time, and cases are prosecuted in state and federal courts.”

Massachusetts’ Highest Paying Bachelor Degrees

Ready to chose a college major? Want to try and score the biggest paycheck possible after school is over? Then these are the fields you may want to study.

The United States Census Bureau has ranked bachelor degrees by median earnings and these fields came out on top.

Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall

12 Things Invented in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

A lot of life-changing things have come out of Massachusetts. Here are a few of the Bay State inventions still relevant to our lives today.

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Gallery Credit: Gazelle





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‘No way to leave’: Mass. families stuck in Middle East amid war in Iran

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‘No way to leave’: Mass. families stuck in Middle East amid war in Iran


Massachusetts families are stuck in the Middle East amid the war in Iran, and Democratic Sen. Ed Markey says the State Department needs to do more to get them home.

The Trump administration is telling Americans to leave the region, and families would love to, but they haven’t been able to get out.

Stacey Schuhwerk of Hingham has been sheltering in place in a Doha hotel since Saturday.

“We hear the missiles outside,” she said. “We can see them.”

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The Hingham mother and her son are among nearly 1,600 Americans trapped in the Middle East with no way to get home.

“Airspace is shut down. There’s no planes,” said Schuhwerk. “There’s no way to leave.”

Flights between Boston and the Middle East are canceled or delayed as travelers express anxiety over the conflict.

At first, U.S. officials told people to shelter in place and register with the State Department — something Schuhwerk did days ago.

“There’s no help there. The last time we called was 20 minutes ago, and they continue to say that ‘We don’t know anything about any plans for government help to get people out,’” she said.

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Embassies and consulates across the region — including the U.S. Embassy in Israel — have now suspended services, saying they simply can’t get Americans out.

“They did not have a plan to conduct this war, and they clearly did not have a plan as to how to evacuate innocent families,” Markey said.

The senator says his office is hearing from Massachusetts families, and he’s pressuring the Trump administration to come up with an evacuation plan fast.

“We are going to apply that pressure on the State Department until every American who wants to leave that region is out,” he said.

Back in Doha, Schuhwerk keeps watching the war outside her window.

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“The talk here is ‘How much defensive ammunition’s left?’ Good question, you know, because the missiles aren’t stopping,” she said. “So how long are we going to be safe here?”

With no clear end to this conflict, she’s worried she could be stuck there for weeks.



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Snow, ice, rain to impact roads in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

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Snow, ice, rain to impact roads in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News


Happy Tuesday! While today started off dry, we’re already looking at snow out there across the area. While this event will primarily stay as rain on the Cape and islands, it will be an icy mix of snow, ice and rain for the rest of us.

The rain/snow line will continue to advance from the south to the north as the evening progresses. Before the changeover, there will be a quick coating to 2 inches for most of our area.

The threshold between the snow and rain will feature sleet and freezing rain, leading to that icing.

For the rest of the night, there will primarily be rain with continued pockets of freezing rain, leading to increasing spotty ice accretion. Be extremely careful on roads, especially since switching between rain and freezing rain can wash off any road salt.

The rain and freezing rain will exit by 6 a.m. Wednesday, but temperatures will still be close to freezing during the morning commute, so watch out for some spotty black ice.

The rest of Wednesday will be really nice! Highs will warm up to the mid 50s with the help of ample sun.

Thursday we start off in the mid 20s and top off in the mid 40s. We’ll be partly sunny with another chance for some wintry weather Thursday night. This primarily looks like some rain and freezing rain, rather than the triple threat with snow too. We’ll keep an eye on that for you.

That will continue into Friday morning. The rest of Friday: cloudy with a chance for a spot shower and highs cooler again in the upper 30s. Saturday will be dry, breezy and cloudy but gorgeous near 50 degrees! There’s a chance for some rain showers Saturday night. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour before you to go bed!

Sunday we start the day mild in the 40s and make it all the way into the upper 50s with more sun. Monday and Tuesday both look bright and in the 60s! Stay tuned.

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Massachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks

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Massachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks




Massachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks – CBS Boston

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Poya Sohrabi hasn’t heard from his family since they took shelter from attacks in Tehran. WBZ-TV’s Mike Sullivan reports.

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