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Special Committee on Public Assistance Program Integrity

Chair: Sen. Alberta Darling
Vice Chair: Rep. Gordon Hintz
Legislative Council Staff:  Anna Henning, Anne Sappenfield and Pam Shannon
Member List 

Member List - Drafting Subcommittee on Public Assistance Program Integrity

The Special Committee is directed to study current laws, rules, and policies relating to fraud prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution, and the current fraud penalty structure, in public assistance programs under ch. 49, Stats. The study shall include consideration of all of the following: (a) the findings and recommendations of recent Legislative Audit Bureau audits of the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program and child care regulation in Wisconsin, and implementation of those recommendations; (b) whether current fraud provisions in ch. 49 should be recodified, streamlined, and made uniform throughout the chapter; (c) the effectiveness of current prohibitions and investigatory and enforcement mechanisms; (d) whether current penalties and associated consequences of a finding of public assistance fraud achieve the goals of fraud prevention and deterrence; (e) incentives for fraud detection by entities administering public assistance programs; (f) whether eligibility provisions in certain public assistance programs increase the likelihood of fraudulent activity; and (g) funding for fraud prevention, detection, investigation, and enforcement at the state and local level.

Report to the Legislature
  • Report to the Legislature 2011-11, Special Committee on Public Assistance Program Integrity (March 15, 2012).
  • 2011 Senate Bill 400, relating to reorganization of ch. 49, Stats., changes affecting public assistance programs, granting rule-making authority, and providing a penalty.
Results of the May 18, 2011 Joint Legislative Council Meeting
Recommendation to the Joint Legislative Council - May 18, 2011 Meeting
  • WLC: 0106/1, relating to reorganization of ch. 49 and changes affecting the public assistance programs.
  • Proposed Report to the Legislature, No. 2011-11, Legislation on Public Assistance Program Integrity.
April 15, 2011 Mail Ballot
  • WLC: 0106/1, relating to reorganization of ch. 49 and changes affecting the public assistance programs.
February 21, 2011 Meeting of the Drafting Subcommittee - CANCELLED
  • WLC: 0089/2, relating to creating an office of inspector general for public assistance, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation.
January 27, 2011 Meeting of the Drafting Subcommittee - CANCELLED
 
December 14, 2010
  • Memo No. 9, Option to Establish a New Unit in the Department of Administration (December 10, 2010).
  • WLC: 0028/1, relating to recodifying and updating ch. 49, stats.
  • WLC: 0029/1, relating to child care attendance records.
  • WLC: 0032/1, relating to recovery of overpayments in the emergency assistance for families with needy children program.
  • WLC: 0033/1, relating to establishment of county and tribal consortia to conduct public assistance program integrity activities.
  • WLC: 0034/1, relating to department of justice authority to prosecute fraud in relation to public assistance programs.
  • WLC: 0035/1, relating to procedures for suspension of payments to child care providers in the Wisconsin Shares program.
  • WLC: 0036/1, relating to fraud investigation training requirements.
  • WLC: 0047/1, relating to determinations of intentional program violations.
  • WLC: 0048/1, relating to statements made and information provided in applications for public assistance.
  • WLC: 0049/1, relating to exemption from levy of payments to parents of supplemental security income recipients.
  • WLC: 0051/1, relating to waiver of recovery overpayments.
  • Draft Letter to Reggie Bicha, Secretary, Department of Children and Families.
  • Draft Letter to Karen Timberlake, Secretary, Department of Health Services.
  • Letter to Senator Bob Jauch, from Kevin W. Concannon, Under Secretary, Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, United States Department of Agriculture.
November 16, 2010 Meeting
  • Map, 2009 FPI Pilot Agencies.
  • Memorandum, from Jason Helgerson, Administrator, Division of Health Care Access and Accountability.
  • Memorandum, Public Benefits Program Integrity Staff Memo No. 6, submitted by Public Member Hal Menendez.
  • Memo No. 7, Options for Legislation (November 10, 2010).
  • Memo No. 8, Update on the Drafting Subcommittee of the Special Committee on Public Assistance Program Integrity (November 16, 2010).
  • WLC: 0017/2, relating to criminal penalties for public assistance violations.
  • Re-write of Intention Program Violation Statute 49.151 (2), submitted by the Department of Children and Families.
November 10, 2010 Meeting of the Drafting Subcommittee
  • WLC: 0009/1, relating to updating terminology to reflect changes to the federal supplemental nutrition assistance program.
  • WLC: 0017/1, relating to criminal penalties for public assistance violations.
  • WLC: 0020/1, relating to terms defined in chapter 49 of the statutes.
  • WLC: 0021/1, relating to reorganization of provisions of ch. 49.
  • Suggestions to Recodify Provisions of Ch. 49, Stats., submitted by the Department of Health Services.
October 20, 2010 Meeting of the Drafting Subcommittee
  • Memo No. 4, Introduction to the Process for Recodification of Provisions of Ch. 49, Stats., Public Assistance and Children and Family Services (September 30, 2010).
October 12, 2010 Meeting
  • Memo No. 5, Current Law and Options Relating to the Responsibility to Investigate Fraud in Public Assistance Programs (October 4, 2010).
  • Memo No. 6, Options for Committee Discussion (October 5, 2010).
  • Draft Letter, to Kevin Concannon, Under Secretary, Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture (October 1, 2010).
  • PowerPoint Presentation by Hal Bergan, Administrator, Unemployment Insurance Division, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
September 8, 2010 Meeting
  • Memo No. 2, Program Integrity Provisions Relating to the Wisconsin Medical Assistance and FoodShare Programs (September 1, 2010).
  • Letter, distributed at the request of committee member Hal Menendez (September 1, 2010).>
  • Memo No. 3, Materials from the Department of Children and Families (September 8, 2010).
    • Enclosure, Annual Percent Growth CC Expenditures 10/2007 - 8/2010 (Adjusted Twelve-Week Rolling Average)
    • Enclosure, CY10 County/Tribe CC Fraud Allocations
  • PowerPoint Presentation, by Department of Health Services staff.
  • Memo, from Sarah Diedrick-Kasdorf, Senior Legislative Associate, Wisconsin Counties Association (September 8, 2010).
  • Memo, from Thomas L. Storm, Director, Medicaid Fraud Control and Elder Abuse Unit, Department of Justice (September 8, 2010).
  • Presentation, by John Rathman, Deputy Director, Outagamie County Department of Health and Human Services.
  • Handouts, from Sue Rohde, Fraud Investigator, Waukesha County Department of Health and Human Services.
August 4, 2010 Meeting
  • Memo No. 1, Wisconsin Works and Wisconsin Shares:  Fraud  Prevention and Detection, Collection of Overpayments, and Penalties for Fraudulent Activity (July 28, 2010).
  • Legislative Audit Bureau Reports:
    • Letter Report, Wisconsin Shares Child Care Subsidy Program
      (June 2009).
    • Letter Report, Matching Addresses of Registered Sex Offenders and Child Care Providers (September 2009).
    • Report 09-15, Child Care Regulation (December 2009).
  • Letter from Reggie Bicha, Secretary of Children and Families, to Senator Vinehout and Representative Barca, Co-Chairs, Joint Legislative Audit Committee, regarding progress the Department of Children and Families has made to improve child care regulation and quality in Wisconsin
    (June 30, 2010).
  • Testimony, from Reggie Bicha, Secretary of Children and Families.
  • Handout, Shares Investigation Process, submitted by Reggie Bicha, Secretary of Children and Families.
  • Summary Sheet, submitted by Janice Mueller, State Auditor, Legislative Audit Bureau.