Oct. 18, 2017
HARRISBURG – Legislation designed to prevent contact letters from being sent to deceased persons and their families was approved by the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee, according to the bill’s author, Rep. Russ Diamond (R-Lebanon).
“There have been incidents of letters for PACE, PACENET and SNAP benefits being sent to families of individuals who are deceased which calls for a greater coordination of records between the Pennsylvania Departments of Aging and Health,” says Diamond. “This happened to me in the case of my late father, as a letter came for him to apply for SNAP benefits, even though he had been deceased for nearly two years.”
Diamond said the Department of Aging consults with federal agencies to check for deceased applicants and enrollees, which has resulted in a significant lag time in removing those names from those lists. The act of cross-referencing records with the Department of Health may help cut down on these errors.
“What concerns me is that I know all of my deceased father’s information, but I can see the opportunity for fraud to be committed by someone using a deceased person’s identity to get benefits,” said Diamond.”
House Bill 1588 would require the record examination by the two state agencies each month.
Following the unanimous committee vote, the bill goes to the House floor for further consideration.
Representative Russ Diamond
102nd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Raymond Smith
717.705.1834
rsmith@pahousegop.com
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