Bill
Bill > A4410
NJ A4410
NJ A4410Prohibits incarcerated individuals from receiving Medicaid, Work First New Jersey, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
summary
Introduced
02/19/2026
02/19/2026
In Committee
02/19/2026
02/19/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026-2027 Regular Session
Bill Summary
This bill prohibits incarcerated individuals from receiving public benefits from Medicaid, Work First New Jersey, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In general, current law prohibits incarcerated individuals from receiving benefits under these programs, but due to a lack of information sharing between relevant government agencies, inappropriate payments sometimes occur. In order to reduce these inappropriate payments, the bill requires the Department of Human Services (which administers the three programs) to establish information sharing procedures with the Department of Corrections, the Administrative Office of the Courts, and individual counties, as necessary, to obtain complete, up-to-date information, on at least a monthly basis, on individuals who are incarcerated in the custody of the State or a county. The bill also requires the department to compare, on at least a monthly basis, this information to its enrollment data the for Medicaid, Work First New Jersey, and SNAP programs, and immediately suspend the eligibility of any individual who is incarcerated and is ineligible to receive benefits in any of the programs. The bill also amends current law to eliminate the authority of the Commissioner of Human Services to extend eligibility for Medicaid to incarcerated individuals in the first month of their incarceration, and to clarify that payments to Medicaid managed care organizations for care or services for an incarcerated individual are prohibited. The bill also eliminates the commissioner's authority to extend Work First New Jersey eligibility to incarcerated individuals by regulation. This bill was inspired by the May 29, 2013 report by the Office of the State Comptroller, which identified improper payments totaling more than $12.6 million in these three programs between July 1, 2009 and April 30, 2011.
AI Summary
This bill aims to prevent incarcerated individuals from receiving public benefits from Medicaid, Work First New Jersey, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by improving information sharing between state agencies. The Department of Human Services will now be required to regularly exchange information with the Department of Corrections, the Administrative Office of the Courts, and county agencies to identify individuals who are incarcerated. This information will be compared monthly to program enrollment data, and eligibility for any of these benefits will be immediately suspended for incarcerated individuals. The bill also removes the Commissioner of Human Services' authority to grant exceptions for Medicaid eligibility in the first month of incarceration and clarifies that payments to Medicaid managed care organizations for incarcerated individuals are prohibited, and similarly eliminates the commissioner's ability to extend Work First New Jersey eligibility for incarcerated individuals through regulations. This legislation was prompted by a report that identified over $12.6 million in improper payments across these programs between 2009 and 2011 due to a lack of inter-agency communication.
Committee Categories
Health and Social Services
Sponsors (1)
Last Action
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee (on 02/19/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/A4410 |
| BillText | https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/A4500/4410_I1.HTM |
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