"Stop Welfare Budget Fraud!"... Gyeonggi-do Launches Fair Welfare Task Force

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province is launching the 'Gyeonggi Fair Welfare Promotion Team' in full scale to prevent misuse and embezzlement of the increasing welfare budget.

On the 4th, Lee Byung-woo, Director of the Welfare Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, held a press conference at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government office and stated, "We will operate a task force (TF) organization to conduct a thorough inspection of illegal activities such as fraudulent welfare claims to realize fair welfare."

The Gyeonggi Fair Welfare Promotion Team will be organized under the Welfare Bureau Director as the head, consisting of 8 teams: General Affairs, Inspection, Investigation, Audit, Legal, and others. A total of 32 members, including 28 public officials and 4 private experts, will be deployed.

This year, Gyeonggi Province's welfare budget is 11.6 trillion won, accounting for a whopping 42.7% of the total budget this year. It has also increased by more than 35% over two years compared to 2018.

As the welfare budget increases every year, illegal cases such as facilities and organizations illegally operating for purposes other than their establishment objectives and embezzling profits, or institution executives using official vehicles for private purposes, are also increasing.

Last year, former and current representatives of Social Welfare Corporation A were caught embezzling 177 million won in profits obtained by illegally operating a social welfare facility approved as a 'Senior Welfare Housing' as a hotel accommodation facility.

The Promotion Team plans to actively collect illegal cases by strengthening publicity so that any resident can report through various methods such as a public interest reporting hotline. In addition, on-site investigations related to social welfare corporations and organizations, basic livelihood security recipients, elderly and disabled facilities, and public rental housing will be promoted, centered on four inspection teams.

Key inspection items include ▲ Investigation of suspected fraudulent households among 210,000 livelihood and housing benefit recipient households ▲ Financial and accounting rule violations of 163 social welfare corporations and organizations that have not been inspected in the last three years and those subject to reports ▲ Misuse of subsidies by 29 disability and elderly welfare facilities that received functional reinforcement project funds and 46 disability independent living support centers ▲ False attendance and practice at 124 nursing care training centers ▲ Management status of donated goods at 29 food banks ▲ Illegal subleasing acts among 8,289 public rental housing units.

If illegal or improper matters are detected as a result of the inspection, the highest level of punishment will be imposed according to related laws such as the Social Welfare Services Act, including facility closure, personnel measures, and recovery of fraudulent claims. If the case is serious or requires additional investigation, the investigation and audit teams will cooperate to proceed with the investigation.

In addition, a case-by-case database (DB) will be established, inspection results will be posted on the website, and a separate guidebook will be created and distributed to cities, counties, social welfare corporations, and facilities to prevent recurrence.

Lee Byung-woo, Director of the Welfare Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, emphasized, "We will clearly establish the 'Four No's' policy against fraudulent claims, illegal cases, illegal practices, and budget waste, and thoroughly inspect to ensure that the precious welfare budget entrusted by the residents is not misused, so that 'fairness without cheating' can take root in the welfare sector."