Rewards for Failure: The Minnesota DHS Bonus Scandal

Join us as we sit down with Kirsten Swanson, a 5 Eyewitness News investigative reporter. Kirsten walks through the newly obtained data showing DHS paid bonuses to program staff and eligibility specialists in the Housing Stabilization Services program and beyond, amid exploding Medicaid spending and ongoing fraud concerns. Also joining the conversation is DHS whistleblower Faye Bernstein, a 20-year veteran of the agency who has faced retaliation for sounding the alarm on fraud risks years ago. Faye shares her unfiltered take on the recent revelations of DHS handing out bonuses to staff overseeing fraud-riddled programs — even as massive waste, improper payments, and red flags piled up. She explains why she believes some of these bonuses went to people who shouldn't have received them and what it says about priorities at the agency. From whistleblower retaliation to taxpayer dollars vanishing into questionable awards, this episode pulls back the curtain on how Minnesota's largest agency has handled (or mishandled) oversight during a time of record fraud losses. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.