It has come to my attention that the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ (DHS) recently ended a contract with a vendor that verified employment and wage data for individuals who applied for benefits through the DHS Office of Income Maintenance and the local County Assistance Offices.

Although DHS can request employment and wage verification information directly from the applicant, this should not be the sole source of this information. Requiring third-party verification of the data will confirm the applicant’s eligibility, prevent fraud, and reduce processing errors.

My legislation would require DHS to issue a request for proposals to fill the void that has been created by the ending of the contract. The funds required to retain the services of a third party verification vendor will be offset by the cost savings that will be realized through fraud prevention and the decrease in processing errors.

Please consider joining me as a co-sponsor of this important measure to improve the programs’ integrity.