Report: Public Employees in Toms River Made Bad Applications to School Lunch Program

A state report investigating abuse of the National School Lunch Program released Wednesday indicates that three public employees in Toms River filed inaccurate information on their applications to enroll in the program.

In total, the Office of the State Comptroller referred for prosecution the names of 83 public employees throughout New Jersey who provided false information about their income on free lunch applications they submitted to school districts. The findings were made over a three-year review of 15 school districts in New Jersey, including Toms River.

In addition, OSC also referred for prosecution 26 individuals who are either the spouse of a public employee or another member of a public employee’s household.

“Dozens of public employees appear to have lied about their income in order to take advantage of a school program designed to help families in need,” Comptroller Matthew Boxer said in a statement.

The names of individuals referred for prosecution were not included in the report, which is available online. The report details other findings from throughout the state. 

In Toms River, it also was found that 49 percent of applicants had their benefits reduced or eliminated after the district verified the information submitted and found inaccuracies.

The National School Lunch Program offers state and federal reimbursement to provide free or reduced-cost school lunches to students from families that meet income eligibility requirements, according to the comptroller’s office.

Those who apply must certify that they understand they may face criminal penalties for giving false information, the comptroller’s office said.