Dear Taxpayer:
We need your help to save our state. As you know, New York State is in the midst of the worst fiscal crisis since the Great Depression. Our state is facing a $7.3 billion budget deficit next year that must be closed. As the Governor and the Legislature develop next year’s state budget and consider options of reducing this multi-billion dollar deficit, Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb and the Assembly Minority Conference are asking for your help preventing, identifying and eliminating all the waste, fraud and abuse in New York State government.
WHY TACKLE WASTE, FRAUD AND ABUSE?
It is estimated that waste, fraud and abuse costs New York taxpayers billions of dollars every year, driving up taxes on families and robbing important programs of necessary state revenues. A 2005 New York Times expose’ reported that fraud in the state’s Medicaid program alone could “reach into the billions.” Worse still, waste, fraud and abuse erode public confidence in state government’s ability to meet the basic needs of its citizens. Simply put, waste, fraud and abuse is everybody’s problem!
WHAT IS GOVERNMENT WASTE, FRAUD AND ABUSE?
Government waste can consist of poorly designed and administered programs, mismanagement, or misuse of public resources, costly government mandates that make no sense, or any other examples of inefficient spending that negatively impact New York’s already overburdened taxpayers.
Just a few examples of the billions in waste, fraud and abuse across New York State government include the following:
- A dentist that fraudulently billed the state Medicaid program for what she claimed were 991 dental procedures per day in 2003
- A taxpayer-financed “Man Cave” where two state employees sold illegal drugs, smoked marijuana and took naps while on official duty
- Van services intended to help the disabled but instead routinely picked up individuals who were not disabled and could easily walk. This type of transportation service costs taxpayers $200 million annually
- A school official in Buffalo who sent 4,434 students into speech therapy in a single day, without even talking to them or reviewing their records
WE NEED YOUR HELP
This site will accept confidential reports of waste, fraud and abuse from state and local employees who want to cut the fat out of government and deliver services to New York residents more efficiently and cost-effectively. Your anonymous tip could not only stop government waste, but also save jobs and tax dollars and help us bring New York back!
If you are a state or local government employee and aware of tax dollars or public resources being wastefully spent, misused or abused, Leader Kolb and the Assembly Minority Conference wants to hear from you. Government workers are on the front lines and in the best position to identify waste, fraud and taxpayer abuse within their own departments.
