The obscure California program that loses billions every year to scammers

Nypost · 🇷🇺 public Russia · Apr 08, 2026 · 1160 words · By Christopher F Rufo; Kenneth Schrupp

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What to know about The obscure California program that loses billions every year to scammers

The obscure California program that loses billions every year to scammers In an exclusive investigation, we shine a light on one of California’s largest health care initiatives: The In-Home Supportive Services Program, or IHSS.

Claims checked 16

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Thus far, coverage of fraud in California has focused on alleged schemes related to unemployment insurance, hospice care, and food stamps.

Common ground

IHSS pays family members and other individuals to provide home-based care for the elderly and disabled— at a cost of nearly $30 billion per year.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: The obscure California program that loses billions every year to scammers?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The In-Home Supportive Services Program (IHSS) costs nearly $30 billion per year?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/08/opinion/the-california-program-that-loses-billions…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 16 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

help Insufficient Evidence 7

schedule Pending 6

verified Verified By Reference 3

verified

Claim 1: “The In-Home Supportive Services Program (IHSS) costs nearly $30 billion per year.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

All Wikipedia evidence refers to the Honduran Social Security Institute (IHSS), not California's program. No data about program costs or California's IHSS is present in the evidence.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Honduran Social Security Institute (Instituto Hondureño de Seguro Social or IHSS in Spanish) is a Honduran program that provides pensions and healthcare coverage. It was inaugurated in 1959 when t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honduran_Social_Security_Insti…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Humic substances (HS) are relatively recalcitrant colored organic compounds naturally formed during long-term decomposition and transformation of biomass residues. The color of humic substances varies…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humic_substance

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — IHSS may refer to: Honduran Social Security Institute (Instituto Hondureño de Seguridad Social in Spanish), social security in Honduras Idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis, an older term for h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IHSS

help

Claim 2: “There are over 800,000 taxpayer-funded caregivers in the IHSS program, making it the largest low-wage occupation in California.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in any sources to confirm or refute the claim about program costs.

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Claim 3: “A California Department of Social Services (DSS) spokesman stated that fraud in the IHSS program is not widespread.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 4: “IHSS loses roughly an estimated $6 billion to $12 billion yearly to scammers.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Evidence only mentions Honduran IHSS and unrelated topics (humic substances). No information about fraud losses or California's IHSS is found.

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Claim 5: “In 2009, then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger estimated that up to 25% of IHSS claims were fraudulent.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in Wikipedia, web search, or cross-references to confirm or refute the claim about Schwarzenegger's 2009 estimate.

schedule

Claim 6: “U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials estimate 25% of Medi-Cal’s budget is lost to fraud.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 7: “LexisNexis Risk Solutions estimates annual IHSS fraud could be 20% to 40% of total program spending.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in any sources to confirm or refute the claim about fraud estimates.

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Claim 8: “A 25% fraud rate over California’s Medi-Cal budget under Newsom’s administration would result in $35 billion siphoned.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 9: “Maryam Erambakhsh was alleged to have falsely claimed payments for caring for her parents while they were outside the U.S.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in any sources to confirm or refute the claim about program details.

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Claim 10: “Armenian speakers are overrepresented in IHSS providers and recipients in California.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 11: “In 2023–2024, counties received nearly 7,000 fraud complaints, with 964 investigations and 39 prosecutions.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in any sources to confirm or refute the claim about fraud losses.

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Claim 12: “Governor Newsom increased IHSS funding by $1.1 billion, raising the total to $33.4 billion.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 13: “Mehmet Oz claimed criminal networks, including the 'Russian Armenian mafia,' were running hospice and home care scams in LA.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 14: “The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecuted Giacomo Lorenzo Garbarino for billing $170,000 in fraudulent IHSS services.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in any sources to confirm or refute the claim about specific fraud estimates.

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Claim 15: “A state workgroup introduced a loophole in 2009 that barred regulators from conducting fully randomized, unannounced home visits.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in any sources to confirm or refute the claim about fraud estimates.

verified

Claim 16: “California created the IHSS program in 1973 to provide in-home care to the elderly and disabled.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries mention California's social services but do not reference IHSS or its establishment date. Evidence about Honduran IHSS is irrelevant to the claim.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is a California state agency for many of the programs defined as part of the social safety net in the United States, and is within the auspices of t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Department_of_Socia…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The California Medical Assistance Program (Medi-Cal or MediCal) is the California implementation of the federal Medicaid program serving low-income individuals, including families, seniors, persons wi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medi-Cal

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.