Welfare is not free. It's called taxation
Welfare is paid to students and the unemployed on the assumption that by helping the poor, in more financially secure times they will pay back in excess the debt they owe to fellow taxpayers. It is effectively a social contract, the individual having drawn upon society in their time, it is assumed in good faith that they will contribute to society in the future.
Lori, as a productive member of society, will upon completion of her studies, contribute far more in taxation than she ever receives in return from the government. By taking a long term view, we can see that Lori is entitled to the correct, prompt and efficient payment of all financial aid and services offered to her in her early career.
Evan11, would you feel differently if the recipient of welfare in this case was a pensioner (some one who has obviously spent a life time paying tax), wrongly denied payment through the exact same bureaucratic error?