Diamond Introduces Anti-Welfare Fraud Legislation
HARRISBURG – In an ongoing effort to combat waste, fraud and abuse in Pennsylvania, Rep. Russ Diamond (R-Lebanon) has introduced legislation that would, if enacted, require the Department of Aging to cross-reference its list of beneficiaries with death records maintained by the Department of Health on a monthly basis.
Diamond says a personal experience helped prompt the creation of this bill.
“My father, who has been deceased for nearly two years, received a letter from the PACE program with his name on it encouraging him to apply for SNAP benefits,” said Diamond. “Obviously, this is a glitch in the system. But this can be a temptation for a less scrupulous person to apply for benefits using the identity of a deceased person. We must put a halt to this.”
Diamond said the Department of Aging currently consults with federal agencies to check for deceased applicants and enrollees, but there is clearly a significant lag time in removing deceased individuals from those lists.
A monthly cross-check with the Department of Health death records will help ensure more efficient removal of deceased people from the PACE and PACENET database.
“Make no mistake, the PACE and PACENET programs are outstanding,” said Diamond. “We just need to make sure we’re not wasting tax dollars or encouraging fraud by offering food stamps and other benefits to dead people.”
House Bill 1588 has been referred to the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee for consideration.
Representative Russ Diamond
102nd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Raymond Smith
717.705.1834
rsmith@pahousegop.com
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