REPORT TITLE:
Unclaimed Assistance Benefits


DESCRIPTION:
Allows for the reversion to the State of unclaimed benefits in a
electronic benefit transfer account upon the death of a client.
(SB1055 HD1)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        1055
THE SENATE                              S.B. NO.           S.D.1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                H.D.1
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO UNCLAIMED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE BENEFITS.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The purpose of this Act is to broaden the scope
 
 2 of the financial assistance benefits which are recoverable and to
 
 3 have them revert back to the program's appropriation from which
 
 4 the funds were expended, and to allow the department to offset
 
 5 any overpayments that are still owed by the household prior to
 
 6 the reversion of the funds back to the program's appropriation.
 
 7      SECTION 2.  Section 346-39.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 8 amended to read as follows:
 
 9      "[[]�346-39.5[]]  Unclaimed financial assistance balances in
 
10 electronic [benefits] benefit transfer accounts.  If there is a
 
11 balance of financial assistance benefits in an electronic
 
12 [benefits] benefit transfer account, that balance shall revert
 
13 back to the [State] program's appropriation from which the funds
 
14 were expended upon the death of [the] a client who has no
 
15 surviving family member receiving assistance in the same
 
16 financial assistance case or upon abandonment of the financial
 
17 assistance account.  Prior to the reversion to the program's
 
18 appropriation from which the funds were expended, the department
 
19 may use the balance of the household's electronic benefit
 
20 transfer account to offset any outstanding overpayments still
 

 
Page 2                                                     1055
                                     S.B. NO.           S.D. 1
                                                        H.D. 1
                                                        

 
 1 owed by the household.
 
 2      For purposes of this section, financial assistance benefits
 
 3 refer to[:
 
 4      (1)  Temporary assistance to families with minor dependents;
 
 5      (2)  General assistance to households without minor
 
 6           dependents; or
 
 7      (3)  Aid to the aged, blind, and disabled program.]
 
 8 cash payments authorized by the department to be issued through
 
 9 the electronic benefit transfer system.  A financial assistance
 
10 account shall be considered abandoned when there is no debit
 
11 transaction to the account for a period of ninety consecutive
 
12 calendar days [after the effective date of closure of the
 
13 financial assistance case]."
 
14      SECTION 3.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
15 New statutory material is underscored.
 
16      SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.