Budget Amendment ID: FY2014-S3-116.1
Further GOV 116.1
Bureau of Program Integrity
Ms. Chang-Diaz moved that the amendment be amended by striking the entire text and inserting in its place the following section-
SECTION _. Chapter 6A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2010 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 16U the following section:-
Section 16V. (a) There shall be within the executive office of administration and finance, but not subject to the control of the office, a bureau of program integrity, hereinafter the bureau. The inspector general shall appoint a director of the bureau, who shall serve as an assistant inspector general under the supervision of the inspector general, and shall serve for a term of 4 years. The inspector general may remove the director for cause and designate an interim director until a new director is appointed. The director shall devote full time and attention to the duties of this office.
(b) The director of the bureau may appoint such persons as are necessary to perform the functions of the bureau; provided, however, that section 9A of chapter 30 and chapter 31 shall not apply to any person holding any such appointment. The director may appoint and remove, subject to the approval of the inspector general, such expert, clerical or other assistants as the work of the bureau may require. Employees shall devote their full-time and attention to their duties while employed with the bureau and shall be subject to the rules and regulations established for employees of the office of the inspector general pursuant to section 4 of chapter 12A.
(c) The bureau shall monitor the quality, efficiency and integrity of programs administered by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, as well as the following executive offices: health and human services, administration and finance, and housing and economic development. The bureau shall seek to prevent, detect and correct fraud, misuse, waste and abuse in the expenditure of public funds and subsidies for benefit programs including, but not limited to, the Film Tax Credit Program, Medical Device Company Tax Credit, Life Sciences Tax Incentive Program, Economic Development Incentive Program Credit, Certified Housing Development Tax Credit, MassHealth, Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Emergency Assistance to Elders, Disabled and Children, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other benefits distributed via electronic benefit cards or tax credits.
(d) In addition to the responsibilities set forth in subsection (c), the bureau shall have the following duties: (i) review current eligibility and determination procedures for public benefit programs administered by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, as well as the following executive offices: health and human services,administration and finance, and housing and economic development; (ii) assist in the development of any new eligibility and qualification procedures and regulations ; (iii) monitor whether eligibility and qualification regulations are being followed by the administering agency; (iv) assist with the coordination with other state agencies to transmit and collect data on public assistance beneficiaries; (v) coordinate with program integrity activities within the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, as well as the following executive offices: health and human services,administration and finance, and housing and economic development, the office of the state auditor, and the office of the inspector general ; (vi) provide training to employees serving under the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, as well as the following executive offices: health and human services,administration and finance, and housing and economic development on methods of intake procedures and beneficiary determination; (vii) automate reporting of indicators of potential fraud; and (viii) coordinate with other agencies to monitor compliance with benefit and tax credit requirements.
(e) The bureau shall coordinate and consult with the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, as well as the following executive offices: health and human services, administration and finance, and housing and economic development on the efforts to verify eligibility and qualifications for recipients of public benefit programs through the sharing of information with other agencies and departments, including but not limited to, the department of revenue, the department of housing and community development, the office of business development, the department of elementary and secondary education, the department of unemployment assistance, the department of industrial accidents, the registry of motor vehicles, the department of criminal justice information services, and the department of corrections.
(f) The bureau shall coordinate and consult with the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, as well as the following executive offices: health and human services,administration and finance, and housing and economic development on monitoring fraud, waste or abuse of public benefits by for-profit organizations.
(g) The director may report and refer instances of fraud, waste or abuse of public benefits to the inspector general for investigation pursuant to section 8 of chapter 12A, and the results of such investigation may be referred to the attorney general or state auditor for appropriate action.