HARRISBURG – Three bills to stop waste, fraud, and abuse in PA’s Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program and Medical Assistance Program were approved by the PA Senate with bipartisan support. The measures were introduced by Schuylkill County Sen. Dave Argall and Sen. Scott Martin of Lancaster & Berks Counties. Senate Bill 155 would prevent dead people from receiving benefits by requiring DHS to check death certificates against recipients of public assistance. A state audit found 2,324 deceased individuals received benefits totaling $700,000 in a 12-month period. Senate Bill 156 requires DHS to compare wage records held by employers and the PA Department of Revenue with public assistance recipients quarterly to prevent fraud. From 2019-23, the PA Office of State Inspector General filed over 2,900 criminal complaints of welfare fraud, with more than $15 million owed in restitution. Senate Bill 157 would update the Public Assistance Integrity Act to require the DHS to issue a yearly report on their efforts to ensure lottery winners are not receiving cash benefits. The Public Assistance Integrity Act, a bipartisan initiative signed into law in 2018, closed a loophole that did not require lottery winnings to be considered as income when determining eligibility for benefits. All three bills now advance to the PA House for consideration.
SEN. SCOTT MARTIN
SEN. DAVID ARGALL