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HUMAN
SERVICES
oErARTMENT

OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL

MEMORANDUM OF INVESTIGATIVE ACTIVITY
On May 13, 2016 Special Agent (SA) Steven A. Teague, New Mexico Human Services
Department (HSD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), conducted an interview of
, Income Support Division (ISD) employee. The interview was
FG
conducted at the East Dona Ana County ISD office located at 2121 Summit Court Las
Cruces, New Mexico. FG stated his home telephone number is
, home
address is
. SA Teague identified
himself to FG verbally and by show of his credentials. The purpose of the interview
was being conducted in connection with an official OIG investigation into allegations of
ISD employees entering inaccurate information on recipients' public assistance
applications. Also present during the interview was OIG SA Sarina Lopez and Chris
Armijo, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
representative. FG was informed the interview was being recorded (recording
attached hereto).

FG was asked if he was ever told to change Recipient information on their

applications as it related to expedited case. FG stated he was never told to change
information. He stated the process for him (started when new County Director (CD)
came in but was similar in the old ISD 2 system) was to print out the pf6, if
CD
it contained they-yes; it was given to a supervisor. After ISD changed to ASPEN, he was
still required to give the case to a supervisor after insuring all the information was
included to see if the case was an expedite. If the case was going to be a late expedite,
before the current budget cuts, he was required to print out current month and eligibility
summary and give to a supervisor. FG stated he was told to "snippet" it off the
eligibility summary and e-mail to supervisor.
FG stated that because of his current position in the customer service and processing
area, he would notice on the application the section "cash on hand". After reviewing the
case notes and application, he could not find statements indicating the recipient was
reporting money they had. During the initial interview, recipients are asked if they have
bank statements, savings/checking accounts, life insurance or any other resources. The
process during the interview is to ask the recipients how much money they have on them.
If the answer is for example $20.00, the case should be late expedited; not because "all of
a sudden cash appears."

TITLE:

FG

NAME: SA Steven A. Teague

ACTIVITY DATE: May 13, 2016

J(A J

CASE NUMBER:

16-PSI-27396

This document contains neither recommendations or conclusions of HSD/OIG. It is the property of HSD and neither
the document or its contents should be disseminated without prior OIG authorization.
Rev 9.24.15

MEMORANDUM OF INVESTIGATIVE ACTIVITY

Date: May 13, 2016
Case Number: 16-PSI-27396
FG stated he has an e-mail instructing the supervisor to place cash on hand on the
JP
recipient's application. He stated ISD employee
from his office will testify
to this practice. FG stated JP was instructed by her supervisor,
to
JB
add cash on hand to applications, the practice started when ASPEN came on line. Other
Supervisors who have allegedly added false information to recipients' application are
OM
; pass CD
and current Regional Operations Manager
AP
(ROM)
.
CD
FG stated the reasoning for adding false information to the applications was to not
receive a "hit" on the late expedite. Late expedite cases would make the office not in
compliance with the Federal Government guidelines for timeliness. FG recalled a case
from April 18, 2016 that false information was added by a Supervisor. He stated he
would attempt to locate the information and provide a copy to this office.
FG stated the impact to the recipients is a delay in getting the expedited (emergency)
benefits they need. Food that should be going to the recipient within seven days is being
delayed from two weeks to a month.
FG stated the East Dona Ana County ISD office benefits from this practice by not
showing a large number of un- expedited cases and being put on a corrective action plan
by the Federal Government. The goal is ninety-six or ninety-eight percent of late expedite
cases. FG does not know of a policy allowing ISD to place non-factual information on
recipients' applications. FG stated the employee who would have a late expedite case
would have to explain the reason to the ROM, and why it was approved as a late
expedite.
FG stated the ROM from Socorro County would threaten employees with some type
of disciplinary action for late expedite cases (he will provide an e-mail with exact
wording). He stated employees in his office were told by CD
that if they
CD
did not follow directives they were being insubordinate. He stated this was done verbally
and there is nothing in writing he could provide to support the claim.
FG stated recipient cases have to be finalized within thirty days, he was instructed to
advise recipients to close out their original expedite case. If they agreed and filled out an
Interim Report or a Recertification Application, the recipient would get the benefits
sooner. FG stated the directive came from the ROM
and personnel from
CD
Santa Fe.
FG also stated if a recipient provided requested information within the time limit and
ISD did not act upon the information, employees would enter in the case comments
section "per DHG court order the case was processed on this date" in order not to receive
an untimely for the case."

MEMORANDUM OF INVESTIGATIVE ACTIVITY

Date: May 13, 2016
Case Number: 16-PSI-27396
FG stated ISD employees informed him the CD at the South Dona Ana County and
West Dona Ana County ISD offices had deleted e-mails from the "C" drive. The e-mails
were instructing employees on how to add assets to a case to make it not expedite. FG
stated he would provide an e-mail to OIG that supports personnel were given instructions
on how to add resources to a case.
to inform
OM
FG also stated his office was instructed by his former CD,
recipients if they closed their expedite case, fill out a new application they would receive
benefits the same day. FG mentioned retired CD
(West Dona Ana)
DC
may have documentation pertaining to this issue. FG stated his office is no longer
adding assets to recipient's applications. Expedite cases are reviewed by a supervisor and
the CD.
This Agent informed FG of NM Statue Annotated 1978, 10-16C-1 Whistleblower
Protection Act, HSD General Administration Non-Discrimination 050.4 Whistleblower
Policy and Article 39 of the AFSCME contract, Whistleblower Protection. FG stated
other ISD employees may be willing to come forward if OIG could conduct the
interviews some place other than the ISD offices. Representative Armijo stated there was
an atmosphere of intimidation and retaliation at the Portales and Taos office the day
prior. Armijo stated he would send an e-mail to OIG Bureau Chief Ken Romero on the
possibility of conducting interviews at a different location.
Lastly FG stated he accessed the "M" drive at his office to look for an expedite list of
cases and a thirty day list of cases stored in that share drive. FG stated the expedite list
is no longer in the "M" drive. He stated it is not password protected and anyone in the
West Dona Ana County ISD office can access the drive and delete information.