Bill > HB2360

This bill directs the Kansas Secretary for Children and Families and the Secretary of Health and Environment to implement comprehensive data matching and verification systems for public assistance programs, primarily focusing on food assistance. The bill requires these agencies to enter into agreements with commercial entities and state agencies to continuously compare data related to households enrolled in food assistance, child support services, Medicaid, and other public assistance programs. They will collect real-time employment and income data from various sources, including payroll providers, the office of vital statistics, department of labor, department of revenue, department of corrections, Kansas lottery, and gaming commission. The secretaries must review data on a monthly, quarterly, or semi-monthly basis to assess changes in circumstances that might affect program eligibility, such as income, employment, residency, incarceration status, or significant lottery/gambling winnings. Additionally, the bill mandates monthly reviews of federal data sources like Social Security Administration records and the National Directory of New Hires. The secretary is also required to publish quarterly, aggregate, non-personal data about fraud investigations, including the number of households investigated, referrals to the attorney general, improper payments, and funds recovered. The goal is to improve program integrity and ensure that public assistance benefits are provided only to eligible recipients.