Committee on Finance Subcommittee on Health Care. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 106-473.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jul 1, 1999
Foster Care independence Act of 1999 - Title I: Improved Independent Living Program - Subtitle A: Improved Independent Living Program - Amends title IV (Grants for Dependent Children) Part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to prescribe State plan contents pursuant to which a State may apply for funds from its allotment to establish an independent living program providing education, training, employment services and financial support for young adults leaving foster care.(Sec. 101) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop performance measures and a data collection system.Authorizes appropriations.Subtitle B: Related Foster Care Provision - Increases the amount of assets allowable for children in foster care.Subtitle C: Medicaid Amendments - Grants States the option of providing Medicaid coverage for adolescents leaving foster care (independent foster care adolescents).Subtitle D: Welfare-To-Work Amendments - Makes children aging out of foster care eligible for welfare-to-work programs.Title II: SSI Fraud Prevention - Subtitle A: Fraud Prevention and Related Provisions - Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) to subject representative payees to liability for overpayments made after a recipient's demise. Instructs the Commissioner of Social Security (the Commissioner) to establish an overpayment control record under the representative payee's Social Security account number.(Sec. 202) Provides for recovery of overpayments of SSI benefits from lump sum SSI benefit payments.(Sec. 203) Authorizes the Commissioner to employ certain statutory debt collection practices to collect delinquent accounts.(Sec. 205) Sets forth additional rules relating to collection of overpayments from individuals convicted of crimes, including: (1) a ten-year period of ineligibility for persons failing to notify the Commissioner of overpayments in months in which the beneficiary is a prisoner or a fugitive, or fails to comply with a repayment schedule for such overpayments; and (2) continued collection efforts against prisoners.(Sec. 206) Sets forth a statutory mechanism for the treatment of assets held in trust in order to determine the resources of an individual in connection with SSI eligibility. Deems the corpus of a revocable trust established by an individual as a resource available to such individual.(Sec. 207) Revises guidelines governing criteria to deny SSI eligibility in connection with disposal of resources for less than fair market value.(Sec. 208) Prescribes administrative procedures for: (1) imposing penalties for false or misleading statements; and (2) excluding representatives and health care providers convicted of violations from participation in Social Security programs.(Sec. 211) Directs the Commissioner to: (1) study and report to certain congressional committees on possible measures to improve fraud prevention and administrative processing; (2) include in the annual budget an itemization of the amount of funds required to support efforts to combat fraud committed by applicants and beneficiaries; and (3) conduct periodic computer matches with Medicare and Medicaid institutionalization data.(Sec. 214) Authorizes the Commissioner to require applicants or beneficiaries to authorize access to information held by their financial institutions in order to ascertain benefits eligibility.Subtitle B: Benefits for Certain Veterans of World War II - Adds a new SSA title VIII (Special Benefits for Certain World War II Veterans) to provide monthly benefits for each month to certain qualified World War II veterans who reside outside the United States, including veterans of the organized military and guerrilla forces of the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. Makes appropriations for such benefits.Title III: Child Support - Amends SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) to repeal: (1) authority for the 90 percent Federal matching grant to the States for laboratory costs for paternity establishment; and (2) the hold harmless provision for State share of distribution of collected child support.Title IV: Technical Corrections - Sets for technical corrections relating to amendments to the Social Security Act made by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 20, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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