Rhode Island

Feds say RI owes $37.3M for food stamp overpayments during UHIP debacle. What happens now?

Published

2 years ago

June 8, 2024

Feds say RI owes .3M for food stamp overpayments during UHIP debacle. What happens now?

PROVIDENCE – The federal government has stepped up its effort to recoup $37.3 million in overpayments from the state that went out from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – formerly known as food stamps – during the botched Raimondo-era rollout of a new computerized eligibility-verification system known as “UHIP.”

The Rhode Island Department of Human Services received the overpayment claim from the U.S. Food and Nutrition Service on May 15 for benefits paid out between September 2016 and December 2019, when current U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was governor.

The dunning letter, signed by FNS regional administrator Lizbeth Silbermann and first reported by WPRI, directly attributes the $37,343,809.68 in overpayments to a “major systemic failure” in “the original implementation of the RIBridges integrated eligibility system – formerly referred to as the Unified Health Infrastructure Project (UHIP).”

The McKee administration is appealing.

Government: RI House lawmakers approve $13.9B budget. Here’s what to expect next.

“After this administration came into office, we were made aware that [the Food and Nutrition Service] would be addressing this past issue with the state at a point in the future,” Department of Human Services spokesman James Beardsworth told The Journal on Friday.

“While FNS determined the specific technical issue was officially resolved by January 2020, it has taken some time for them to issue the findings just received. DHS disputes the claim and has filed an appeal,” Beardsworth said.

“When the new contract with the system vendor was entered into by this Administration, financial protections for the State were included in the agreement,” he said, without elaboration.

The botched 2016 rollout by the Raimondo administration of the new Deloitte-designed computerized eligibility-verification system left scores of struggling Rhode Islanders without benefits and others with double payments or letters telling them their very-much-alive children were dead.

The May 15 letter was not the first notice from the federal government that it was seeking repayment. Until now, the question was how much.

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On Aug. 23, 2017, the Food and Nutrition Service notified the Rhode Island Department of Human Services that the state was liable.

In 2018, the federal agency sent the state a running list of the problems thwarting access by some of the poorest people in Rhode Island to food stamps, including: “failure to close thousands of cases because of unprocessed re-certifications and periodic reports,” and other “persistent issues … resulting in inaccurate benefit issuances to thousands of households.”

“In 2019, FNS began calculating overpayment amounts and identified an initial $30,536,981 in overpayments stemming from DHS’s failure to properly recertify benefit recipients, an incorrectly timed benefit hike and “duplicate accounts.”

FNS was initially “unable to determine a final liability amount due to limitations with the data.”

In time, DHS identified an additional $6,806,828.68 in overpayments resulting from the delayed interface with other databases showing “death matches,” for example, and failure to count cash assistance from the “RIWorks” program as “unearned income in SNAP budgets.”

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Rhode Island

RI Lottery Numbers Midday, Numbers Evening winning numbers for Dec. 18, 2025

Published

8 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 18, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Numbers numbers from Dec. 18 drawing

Midday: 1-4-0-0

Evening: 5-5-4-5

Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Wild Money numbers from Dec. 18 drawing

09-28-30-31-36, Extra: 21

Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
Winners of the Lucky for Life top prize of $1,000 a day for life and second prize of $25,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.

When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Rhode Island

‘Just knock it off’: Neronha, Whitehouse urge RI to ignore Brown shooting conspiracy theories | ABC6

Published

20 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

‘Just knock it off’: Neronha, Whitehouse urge RI to ignore Brown shooting conspiracy theories | ABC6

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Law enforcement are urging Providence and Rhode Island residents to only trust information from official sources in the Brown University shooting.

This follows the doxxing of a student related to online speculation about the shooting suspect’s identity.

According to Brown University, a student’s personal information was shared online, and now Attorney General Peter Neronha is attempting to stem the flow of internet rumors.

Rumors gained more traction after information about the doxxed student was seemingly removed from Brown’s website.

Neronha said that any online rumors about political, religious or racial motivations behind the shooting are unfounded.

Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse didn’t mince words when he weighed in on the online discourse in the case.

“So whether it’s to protect the law enforcement investigation from a lot of unnecessary and ill-informed noise cluttering up the ability of the many agencies working on this to do their jobs, or whether it’s out simple courtesy and sympathy to the families who are going through this awful moment, just please shut up with the speculation,” said Whitehouse.

“All the conspiracy theories, all the creepy weird plot ideas, please, just knock it off.”

School officials said it is not unusual to take steps to protect a person’s safety in the event of online targeting.

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Rhode Island

RI Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Dec. 17, 2025

Published

1 day ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 17, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 17 drawing

25-33-53-62-66, Powerball: 17, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 17 drawing

11-13-20-40-41, Lucky Ball: 07

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Numbers numbers from Dec. 17 drawing

Midday: 3-3-9-5

Evening: 4-3-2-9

Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Wild Money numbers from Dec. 17 drawing

04-11-18-24-37, Extra: 30

Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
Winners of the Lucky for Life top prize of $1,000 a day for life and second prize of $25,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.

When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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