HARRISBURG – The PA Senate approved legislation that stops wasteful spending in the Medical Assistance and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance or SNAP programs in PA. Senate Bill 1124 requires the Department of Human Services to check death certificates with the Bureau of Vital Statistics so that the payments can be stopped immediately. Bill sponsor, Sen. David Argall of Berks & Schuylkill Counties introduced the bill after an audit by former PA Auditor General Eugene DePasquale found that the state Department of Human Services paid benefits to 2,324 dead people. In one case, $800 in benefits intended for a woman who passed away was used by another individual for a shopping spree. The bill now goes to the PA House.
SEN. DAVID ARGALL