As reported, Salva was indicted last Tuesday for collecting approximately $60,000.00 in social security disability benefits while also receiving payments from his being a state lawmaker from 2003 to 2011.
The indictment claims that the former lawmaker failed to inform the Social Security Administration (SSA) about his new employment as a state lawmaker and thus continued to receive disability benefit payments that he was not entitled to get. Incidentally, Salva started collecting disability benefit payments upon being unable to work due to a neck injury he incurred from a farm accident.
According to an attorney for the Western District of Missouri, elected officials are expected to be the very first ones to follow the law. Moreover, the lawyer claimed that what Salva did was not far different from a theft’s misconduct, since he illegally dipped into public funds.
Apparently, the federal agency was alarmed after his being a lawmaker came to the attention of its officials in 2008. Following the said discovery, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the City of Kansas sent Salva a bill seeking reimbursement for $58,917.00 that he had not been entitled to receive from 2004 to 2008, according to media sources.
Subsequently, during his appeal in 2011, an administrative judge ruled that Salva was at fault for causing the disability benefits overpayments.
Eventually, Salva ended up being charged with two counts of Social Security disability fraud, one count of mail fraud, and making false statements to federal agent since he intentionally concealed his new source of income as a state legislator when he completed his form in 2003.
Apparently, it was clearly an intentional misconduct since he had the chance to correct what was wrong in his 2003 form but unfortunately, he chose not to. Consequently, such type of public officials is what critics are mostly talking about.
Most often, people criticizes the rich people and a number of public officials who dig into the federal fund that is intended to support the poor, the disabled, and the elderly who were unable to earn a living on their own. Unfortunately, critics can’t be blamed for their accusations since they see such acts from disgraceful lawmakers, a Los Angeles social security disability firm commented.
