A fruit cake of a program

My area of the country has been hit with yet another natural disaster. It was quite unusual to see the few brave trick-or-treaters wading through 40 inches of wet snow. Needless to say, we did not have a banner turnout, as Hurricane Sandy proved to be frightening enough to keep people indoors.

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Having just suffered through the devastating Hurricane Isaac this summer, many of us were much better prepared. Still, some of us were without power for several days, many buildings saw roofs collapse from the weight of the heavy snow and lots of people lost several days of work, my company included. All in all, the damage to our area financially will be measured in the hundreds of millions. Nationwide, it will be in the billions, I am sure.

When you lose money, it's gone and you never get it back, even when you factor in FEMA and insurance. But what about those who are totally dependent on the government? This is where my story begins, and it has very little to do weather patterns.

Once the storm had subsided and power restored, I began catching up on my social media. The usual fare of postings for sure, but I noticed a number of rants about the government helping those on assistance programs by replacing any food lost during the massive power outages. Most people were outraged that the government would not offer this benefit to everyone. Granted, food is a basic necessity of life, but some of these same people would be irate to learn what Big Brother allows for these same people on assistance programs who are seeking automotive repair. (No disaster required.)

This is truly a tale of fleecing the taxpayers.

Here's how the program — at least in our state — works. If you are on government assistance and your car is in need of repair (claimed or real), you can submit a claim with your local Department of Health and Human Services (DHHR). DHHR has a list of repair and parts facilities that are approved to offer goods and services to the eligible claimants. Other than purchasing a mandatory order license annually, no other requirement or certification is needed for a business to be on this list. 

The state sets a maximum benefit level (typically around $2,000) for claimants, who then visit an approved business, such as mine, for an estimate.

In a nutshell: People with no means to fix their car can apply for assistance from a state agency and are directed to specific repair or parts facilities, who only need a paid annual license, with potentially thousands of dollars to spend. And all of this happens with no oversight or certification.

I’ve been part of this process many times. Honestly, I can realistically say that half the time, it is legit, and some people just need help. But with no oversight, certification or verification process, the other half act like a ‘Girls Gone Wild’ marathon on Spike TV. There are times I have called caseworkers about some vehicles to explain that no amount of money can help me turn some of the basket-case cars brought to my business into safe, dependable vehicles. The response? Caseworkers tell me to perform as much of the repair as I can while remaining within the claimant’s benefit range.

I’ve even involved a state senator and provided multiple examples of how taxpayers are getting ripped off. His ultimate response was, “No one wants to touch this because all those people vote. And what will we do about the children?” Government assistance — the gift that keeps on giving.

The only thing I got from all of this complaining is the threat of a possible audit from DHHR. That’s right. As a direct result of my senator’s inquiry, a DHHR executive contacted me said, “Looks like you have been doing a lot of work for us, and we may possibly want to review your processes.” I told him I’d look forward to it, and would have on hand several newspaper representatives to help draw more attention to this huge crisis. I haven’t heard back about the audit, but the problem continues. I just don’t get as many estimate requests anymore.