Two named queues total 5,078
A California Department of Social Services review conducted June 30 through July 2 found 4,935 open or active Payment Verification System abstracts in Kern County’s queue. The oldest dated to March 27, 2024. Reviewers also found 143 open New Hire Registry abstracts, the oldest from May 1, 2024.
Those two named queues total 5,078 unprocessed matches. The report calls the condition a repeat finding from a 2023 review, making this more than a one-time snapshot: the state again found that the county was not processing abstracts within the required timeframes.
| Match source | Open/active | Oldest |
|---|---|---|
| Payment Verification System | 4,935 | March 27, 2024 |
| New Hire Registry | 143 | May 1, 2024 |
| Named-queue total | 5,078 | — |
A second inventory should not be added blindly
The same report lists 649 Income and Eligibility Verification System abstracts, 87 Payment Verification System abstracts and 87 New Hire Registry abstracts as unassigned—a separate total of 823. The document does not establish whether those records are wholly outside the 5,078 open/active counts.
What’s the Scoop With Broach therefore did not add the 823 to the named backlog. Doing so could double-count records. The distinction matters because the audit describes both processing delay and assignment-control problems, but it does not provide record-level data that would reconcile the two populations.
The corrective plan has a deadline
CDSS issued the final report September 9 and required a corrective-action plan by November 9, followed by quarterly updates. That gives Kern a measurable response point: it must explain staffing, workflow and monitoring changes rather than merely acknowledge the old cases.
An abstract is a data match that can prompt eligibility review; it is not itself proof of fraud or an improper benefit. The public-interest finding is administrative: delayed matches weaken timely verification and can also postpone corrections that would help an eligible household.
Method and limits
This newsroom transcribed the two open/active populations, checked their sum and kept the separately labeled unassigned inventory apart. Dates and finding status come from the state’s final review, not an interview or an independent case-file examination.
The report does not publish dollar losses, case outcomes or the number of unique households. It therefore cannot support a claim that 5,078 people committed fraud or received improper benefits.
Sources and further reading
CDSS Kern County IEVS review, final report, September 9, 2026 ↗
Kern County Board agenda, October 27, 2026 ↗
California EDD headquarters photograph and CC BY-SA 4.0 license ↗