Page 45

44

Determining Eligibility Penalty for Non-cooperation with Child Support Requirements If a parent or other caretaker relative fails to cooperate in establishing paternity or in establishing, modifying, or enforcing a child support order, without good cause in accordance with Act 58, state regulation provides that the cash assistance allowance, which is the monthly assistance grant, is reduced by 25 percent. The grant remains reduced until the parent or caretaker relative demonstrates cooperation or establishes good cause for noncooperation. Penalty for Conviction of Welfare Fraud

An applicant or recipient who has been convicted of securing or attempting to secure or aiding or abetting or attempting to aid or abet any individual in securing TANF, Medical Assistance or Federal SNAP by means of a willfully false statement or misrepresentation, or by impersonation, or by willfully failing to disclose a material fact regarding eligibility either before or at the time of, or subsequent to the application for assistance is ineligible for cash assistance. The period of ineligibility is six months from the date of the first conviction, 12 months from the date of the second conviction, and permanently from the date of the third conviction.

To identify instances of potential fraud the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania uses the Income Eligibility Verification System (IEVS), the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program and the Master Client Index (MCI). IEVS provides information on:

 Wages and unemployment compensation through the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

 Supplemental Security Income and other income through the Social Security Administration.

 Both earned and unearned income through the Internal Revenue Service.

 Deceased person matches through the Department of Health.

 Simultaneous receipt of TANF benefits in multiple states through the Public Assistance Reporting Information System.

 Criminal history information through the Commonwealth Judicial Inquiry System.

 Lottery winnings through the Pennsylvania State Lottery.