Sec 46-217. Finger imaging program; temporary assistance to needy families

A. The department shall establish a finger imaging program for the temporary assistance for needy families program.

B. As a control to prevent multiple enrollments in the temporary assistance for needy families program, every adult applicant for and adult recipient or minor parent recipient of temporary assistance for needy families shall be finger imaged as a condition of eligibility as required by this section.

C. Finger images obtained pursuant to this section shall be used only for the purposes of determining eligibility for temporary assistance for needy families and preventing multiple enrollments in the program and may not be accessed by any other agency of this state for another purpose.

D. The department shall adopt rules:

1. Setting forth the finger imaging requirements and any exceptions to these requirements for physical or other impairment.

2. For administratively appealing multiple enrollment determinations.

E. An otherwise eligible assistance unit may not participate in the temporary assistance for needy families program if the adult applicant, adult recipient or minor parent recipient refuses or fails to cooperate with the finger imaging program requirements.

F. If an adult applicant for or adult recipient or minor parent recipient of temporary assistance for needy families complies with the finger imaging requirements and meets all other eligibility requirements, the department shall approve these benefits. If the finger image of an applicant, adult recipient or minor parent recipient matches another finger image on file, a fraud investigator shall be notified and the applicant or recipient shall be made aware of the match. If the investigator verifies the fraud, the department shall terminate benefits. The adult applicant, adult recipient or minor parent recipient may appeal this termination pursuant to section 46-205. If the match is appealed, the finger image match shall be verified by a trained individual before the termination of benefits.

G. The department shall purge a finger image thirty-six months after it denies or terminates temporary assistance for needy families or supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits, whichever occurs later, for the individual who was finger imaged.

H. The director of the department of economic security shall report to the chairperson of the senate appropriations committee and the chairperson of the house of representatives appropriations committee on or before February 15 of each year as to the actual and projected savings from reduced caseloads in the temporary assistance for needy families program directly attributable to the finger imaging program prescribed by this section.