NEBRASKA —

Over $13,000 in federal and state taxpayer dollars was fraudulently used in a Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) program, according to a new Nebraska state audit.

The personal assistance services, or PAS, program is meant for caregivers to support Medicaid-eligible people with routine assistance like shopping and housework.

But the state auditor found some caregivers were “milking” the program.

“They're allowing these caregivers to charge as many as 116 hours per week,” Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley said. “That's 16 hours a day, seven days a week. Nobody works that kind of a schedule and holds full-time employment elsewhere. It just simply can't be done.”

Foley said the federal government funds 60% of the program while the state funds 40%.

The audit found t

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