Nav has lost 676 million in wrongful payments

NAV,NAV logo. Photo Norway Today Media

 

Since 2013, Nav has lost 676 million kroner in wrongful payments that were too late to reclaim, says the newspaper Dagens Næringsliv.

Large sums are therefore lost because the agency is too slow to reclaim incorrect payments. According to the newspaper, a report from Nav’s internal audit from February last year showed that Nav’s management has also refrained from collecting money that is paid out incorrectly.

Employment Minister Anniken Hauglie (H) says this is not sustainable and requires a more detailed account.
– We cannot have such incorrect payments not being reclaimed. The total sums are too high and the number of cases too many. It is important that the  number of wrongful payments are reduced. I will have a meeting with Nav and I have requested that this be put on the agenda, because this is not good enough, she said.

Deputy Work and Welfare Director Geir Axelsen believes the case is worrying, but says it is not right to call it procrastination an it does not necessarily indicate that the agency has done a poor job.
– We have used our resources to reduce old cases of wrongful payment matters. But we have limited resources and an increasing workload. Therefore, we have given priority to boosting efforts to get more people into jobs and fewer people on benefits,  and to achieve this with as short a processing time as possible, says Axelsen.

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today

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