Audit finds Maryland agency wasn’t properly verifying eligibility for benefits

A new audit found multiple problems with how the Maryland Department of Human Services distributed public benefits, including that the agency gave tens of thousands of recipients benefits during the pandemic who didn’t qualify for the programs. The fiscal compliance audit spanned four years ending in May of 2021, which included the period during the pandemic when federal and state governments raised income thresholds and eased requirements to allow more people access to federal funding.