HARRISBURG – Today, the Senate Aging & Youth Committee unanimously approved a bill introduced by Senator David G. Argall (R-Schuylkill/Berks) to strengthen fraud detection among state agencies.
Senate Bill 891 requires the Pennsylvania Department of Aging to cross-check its list of PACE and PACENET beneficiaries with death records maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Argall noted the importance of this type of measure after his father, who passed away in 2015, was sent two separate letters from the state a year following his death encouraging him to apply for food stamps.
“I know that what happened here was not an anomaly. A colleague of mine in the House of Representatives experienced a similar incident where his deceased father was mailed a letter from PACE asking him to apply for SNAP benefits,” said Argall.
“Given our modern age of technology, it is clear that we need to take swift action to improve efficiencies in programs such as PACE and PACENET. By requiring the Department of Aging and the Department of Health to collaboratively maintain current records of individuals enrolled in the PACE program, we can combat fraud and, most importantly, save taxpayers money.”
The bill will now move to the full Senate for consideration.
Contact: Sakura Ung 717-787-2637