The latest figures I can find on total number of welfare recipient families in Massachusetts is about 71,200
This number from the US Census, 2010, represents about 2.7% of the Mass population that is on cash assistance income (wefare).
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk
That's about 2.7 people on welfare in Massachusetts for every 100 people, If 25- 30% of recipients were not legitimate, we would have a tremendous problem here.
Welfare rules clearly state that if a payment is made to a recipient and the recipient does not comply with any iquiry as to their work and financial status, every quarter, or more often as needs may dictate, (moving, birth of child, etc.) the payments will stop! Daycare recipient parents must also check in quarterly, and day care centers must report attendance for each day of the month per child in order to be reimbursed.
Also, $300 a month is a rather minimal payment, perhaps to a parent with one child; (plus food stamps, medicaid, etc). Families with several children recieve more. Figures from the same link, (above) indicate the average amount of assistance per family is $4700 a year, or about $390 a month.
Often, payments made in error are returned, or simply re-claimed from banks, if made to a recipient's bank account by direct deposit. Welfare recipients committing outright fraud can be persecuted and jailed if convicted.
I can understand the 19,000 mistaken payments for total number of payments over a period of one year, including mistaken payments for day care, food stamps, etc., (which would be an error rate well under 1% per year for over 2 million payments to recipients, vendors of day care, etc.), but 19,000 a month, continuously over several months is frankly hard to believe.
Of course, in order to audit and double check payments to proper recipients, state welfare workers need proper caseloads, proper training in how to spot fraud, and proper staff supervision, computer checks, etc., all of which costs money.