Diamond’s Bill to Block the Deceased from Welfare Benefits Passes House

June 4, 2019

HARRISBURG – Legislation drafted by Rep. Russ Diamond (R-Lebanon) to fight the waste, fraud and abuse of welfare benefits in the Commonwealth received unanimous support from the House today.

The bill would require the Department of Aging to cross-reference its list of beneficiaries with death records maintained by the Department of Health on a monthly basis. It would ensure more efficient removal of deceased people from the PACE and PACENET database.

“This is a commonsense way to save taxpayers money and prevent potential fraud. The Commonwealth should never be in the business of offering welfare benefits to dead people simply because various departments aren’t comparing notes,” Diamond said.
Currently, the Department of Aging consults with the Department of Revenue for income verification, but there is a significant delay.

House Bill 775, which was originally introduced in the previous legislative session, now heads to the Senate for consideration following today’s bipartisan support from the House.

Representative Russ Diamond
102nd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Alison Evans
717.260.6206
aevans@pahousegop.com
RepDiamond.com / Facebook.com/RepDiamond