West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has put his finger on the primary reason state and federal officials should increase efforts to catch cheaters receiving government benefits.

It was revealed Tuesday that the Cooperative Disability Investigations unit in the Mountain State ended the first quarter of this year having saved taxpayers nearly $2 million. The unit, a partnership between Morrisey’s office and federal agencies, investigates claims for disability benefits. Since being created in December 2015, the initiative has saved more than $16.3 million.

That saves taxpayers money. But, as Morrisey noted, “best of all, we’re targeting resources to those who need (them) most.”

Precisely. Every dollar in benefits collected by a cheater is a dollar less available to truly disabled people who need our help. We suspect the current initiative is just scratching the surface. It ought to be intensified.