$60 Million Paid to Convicted Felons Stirs Up Problems For Michigan

The state of Michigan is under fire after paying $60 million in a 29-month period to convicted criminals.

Those on the payroll included convicted felons and people convicted of crimes ranging from financial fraud to homicide, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Low-income adults were enrolled in a program created to keep them from long-term and more expensive care, according to a report released by the state auditor general.

There were 3,800 felons working in the homes of the disabled and elderly, The Detroit News reports.

The report blames unorganized paperwork for the improper payments but the document also reports that the issue could’ve been resolved if staff had identified the problem in a timely manner.

Services worth $83.3 million were provided to individuals who didn’t qualify for them.

Maura Corrigan, director of the state Department of Human Services, told USA Today she didn’t realize the scope of the problems until she read the report, but that she takes the findings “very seriously.”

Similar issues have surfaced in the past.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette filed charges against 17 individuals associated with the Home Help agency earlier this year and has secured six convictions. In five of those cases, clients had died, yet workers continued to receive payments. In the other case resulting in a conviction, the girlfriend of the worker cashed checks while her boyfriend was in prison, USA Today said.

State laws don’t require criminal history checks for caregivers, according to the report.