Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) Inspector Carolyn Ham was placed on paid leave in March after Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) released a report exposing her passive role in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) fraud scandal.
Now, retired New Brighton Police Chief Bob Jacobson will be temporarily taking over Minnesota’s inspector general office while Ham is under investigation on paid leave. Jacobson was appointed by the new DHS Commissioner Pam Wheelock on Jul. 29.
Jacobson is taking over Ham’s role on an interim basis beginning Aug. 5 and has extensive background in working in public safety and professional development.
Since going on paid leave in March, Inspector Ham has earned over $42,000. Now, she has been reassigned to the Office of General Counsel where she began working on Jul. 29 for the remainder of her investigation.
Ham is under investigation after an OLA report revealed her passive role in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) fraud scandal that totaled over $775,000.
Representative Mary Franson (R-Alexandria) says that she hopes “this is the start of a new chapter where the Office of Inspector General has the leadership it needs to aggressively uncover, investigate and prosecute fraud across all of our public programs.”
Megan Olson
Megan Olson is a 2020 graduate of the University of Minnesota with degrees in political science and history. She works in public affairs in addition to serving on the Legislative Advisory Council for School District 196. She is also on the school board for FIT academy, a charter school in Apple Valley.