Agency gave fuel aid to illegal immigrants

Mary E. O’Leary, Register Topics Editor
09/12/2007

-NEW HAVEN — The Community Action Agency of New Haven allocated federally supported fuel assistance to illegal immigrants last winter, according to a state audit, which confirms complaints by former employees at the agency.

The state Department of Social Services, in its instructions to the nonprofits that process applications for the funds, said heads of households seeking winter heating assistance had to be at least 18 years old, meet the income guidelines and have a Social Security number.

In mixed households with undocumented individuals and citizen children or elderly, the Social Security number for the applicant was the litmus test for citizenship.

The probe of CAA, however, has pushed DSS to get a clarification from state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal on whether noncitizens can benefit from the heating assistance, despite the department’s advice limiting those who qualify for the funds.

The investigation of CAA was prompted by a whistle-blower complaint, which is complicating release of the report, currently under review by the state Auditors of Public Accounts.

"It appears that there is some murkiness in the federal rules," said DSS spokesman David Dearborn.

"The whistle-blower complaint sparked the first in-depth look at this factor (assistance for non-citizens) in Connecticut to our knowledge. We can’t simply turn away from the broader issue and look at the more micro issue: did they (CAA) follow the process of collecting Social Security numbers."

Dearborn said they need a clear map from Blumenthal on the flexibility of using the federal funds, as well as what policy should govern the use of state funds, which have not been needed for several years now.

"It is a responsible question to ask. How and if the federally funded program can or should protect minor U.S. citizens and elderly U.S. citizens in a household where they are not the technical applicant," he said.

Superimposed on this is the state’s de facto policy of not allowing people to freeze, or allowing situations where a child or a disabled person’s health is negatively affected by the lack of heat in a household.

Connecticut received about $60 million in federal aid for fuel assistance last year, which was up from some $57.3 million, serving 83,685 households, 7,700 more than in 2005-06.

How many illegal immigrants may have received the assistance from CAA, which helped an estimated 14,000 individuals get the fuel help last year, was not immediately available. CAA spent $8.6 million on energy assistance in fiscal 2006, according to its audit.

Since the inquiry was the result of a whistle-blower complaint, public auditor Robert Jaekle said his office will review the audit, which they received Tuesday.

If they have more questions, they will send auditors back to the agency. When the report is final, it goes to Blumenthal, who decides when and if to release it, potentially redacting the names of any person interviewed, Jaekle said.

Dearborn said Blumenthal’s opinion will affect the heating plan DSS puts forward this month for review by the state Office of Policy and Management, the governor’s office and state legislative committees by Sept. 26.

Bernice Carter, a former fuel assistance worker at CAA, said the workers were shown how to override the computer system to process an application without a Social Security number, technically allowing people to bring in the necessary documentation later.

She said she refused to sign off on incomplete applications, which were passed on to the supervisors.

Luz Mercado said training they received from DSS last fall clearly spelled out the need for a Social Security number by the applicant. She said at the height of the fuel assistance season, they were told to push through the applications, despite the lack of needed documentation. When they objected, she said the supervisors said they would get a ruling from DSS in Hartford.

Cassandra Floyd, who was in charge of fuel assistance at CAA, did not return a call seeking comment, while CAA Executive Director Amos Smith said it was possible some illegal immigrants got assistance, considering the number of undocumented people in the region and the large number of people who apply.

He said, however, if workers approved faulty applications "they should be disciplined," and if they thought it was wrong, they should have told the administration.

"I don’t know that I have heard this before this investigation that workers thought they were asked to do something that was wrong," Smith said.

He said the software system allows people in the household without Social Security numbers to get a computer generated one so the applications can proceed, as long as there was a member of the household who was 18 and had the correct income level and was a citizen.

"Under no circumstances would we condon employees enrolling people who are not eligible," Smith said.

Carter and Mercado said they complained about other things they felt were wrong at the agency, but were discourged when they got no response from the administration.

"They want dummies. Someone they could rule over. Someone who didn’t pay attention to the rules and regulations," said Carter, who was laid off early from her part-time job, as was Mercado.

At ABCD Inc. in Bridgeport, the community action agency that generally awards the most heating aid statewide, fuel assistance director Carolyn Floyd said "undocumented aliens are not eligible, as far as I know."

She said when they were faced with mixed households of illegal immigrants and citizen children, the applications were rejected unless the head of household had a Social Security number.

"They (the undocumented) get cold too, but what are you going to do," Floyd said.

Dearborn was asked if CAA is a good candidate to continue distributing fuel assistance in the future.

"I can’t comment on that because it is not in the report, but you can draw your own conclusion," he said.

Mary E. O’Leary can be reached at 789-5731 or moleary@nhregister.com.

http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm ... 0581&rfi=6

Just another example of the high cost of cheap labor.