Sophia Michaels
President Donald Trump’s Medicare chief, Seema Verma, filed a $47,000 claim for lost property in an effort to have taxpayers reimburse her for items that were stolen this summer while she was on a work trip. The property that went missing along with Verma’s bags, according to Politico, included an Ivanka Trump-brand pendant that Verma’s jeweler valued at $5,900.
Verma claimed $43,065 in missing jewelry, two dozen pieces in total, and clothing. The jewelry was appraised three weeks after the theft in San Francisco where she was giving a speech.
A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson told Politico that receiving a reimbursement, at a discounted rate, for stolen personal property while on work related trips has been a longstanding policy. The agency ultimately reimbursed her $2,852.40.
“When paying for such goods, the department pays a discounted rate based on age for the items that were lost. It’s perfectly appropriate that the administrator filed a personal property loss claim for goods stolen while on work travel and this is not an unusual practice for federal employees,” the spokesperson said.
According to the police report, back in July, when the theft took place, Verma initially estimated the cost of her lost property at $20,000.
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