Purpose and Legal Authorities. ED seeks access to the information contained in the DHS-USCIS database (referred to as the Verification Information System (VIS)) under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), Pub. L. 99-603, section 121. ED seeks this information for the purpose of verifying the immigration status of applicants for assistance, as authorized by section 484(g) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), 20 U.S.C. § 1091(g), consistent with the requirements of section 484(a)(5), 20 U.S.C. § 1091(a)(5). ED is authorized to participate in the matching program, which is the subject of this agreement, under the authority of section 484(g)(3) of the HEA, 20 U.S.C. § 1091(g)(3). DHS-USCIS is authorized to participate in this immigration status verification system under section 103 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, 8 U.S.C. § 1103, and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-208, 110 Stat. 3009, as amended, 8 U.S.C. § 1373(c).
Purpose and Legal Authorities. A. Purpose Lifeline is a federal program that helps low income consumers afford phone and internet services. The program provides a monthly benefit up to $9.25 toward phone or internet services for eligible subscribers and up to $34.25 for those living on Tribal lands. The benefit is available to households that meet the eligibility criteria including patiicipation in SNAP, Medicaid or income thresholds. The results generated by this Computer Matching Agreement (CMA or Agreement) will serve as one of several data points to verify eligibility of applicants to and subscribers of the federal Universal Service Fund (USF or Fund) Lifeline program using the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier and to further the integrity of the Lifeline program. This CMA seeks to ensure that Lifeline program applicants and subscribers are eligible to receive the Lifeline benefit in 47 C.F.R. § 54.409. The federal Lifeline regulations under 47 C.F.R. §54.400 et seq. provide eligibility requirements, including emollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. USAC seeks to use SNAP and Medicaid data for eligibility verification purposes for the federal Lifeline program. This will be accomplished by matching specific USAC Data with MDSS SNAP data and Medicaid. In doing so, and consistent with the terms of this Agreement, USAC shall transmit the Lifeline subscriber's personally identifiable information (USAC Data) to MDSS and MDSS shall confirm with an affirmative or negative confirmation as to whether the Lifeline subscriber is currently emolled in SNAP or Medicaid. USAC will provide Lifeline program subscriber data, which will only include the data elements needed for the matching. MDSS will utilize SNAP and Medicaid data to provide affirmative or negative responses. USAC and MDSS will exchange data using secured file delivery system and with all matching conducted internally. This process is explained in further detail in section IV.B. of this Agreement. MDSS and USAC agree that the information exchange shall be utilized for the purpose of verifying a qualified assistance recipient as being eligible for the federal Lifeline program, and any auditing and/or data analysis requirements under the Privacy Act, or other legal authority.
Purpose and Legal Authorities. Section 121 of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, Public Law 99- 603, as amended by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), Public Law 104-193, 110 Stat. 2168 (1996), requires DHS to establish a system for the verification of immigration status of alien applicants for, or recipients of, certain types of benefits as specified within IRCA, and to make this system available to state agencies that administer such benefits. Section 121(c) of IRCA amends Section 1137 of the Social Security Act and certain other sections of law that pertain to federal entitlement benefit programs. Section 121(c) requires state agencies administering these programs to use DHS-USCIS’s verification system to make eligibility determinations in order to prevent the issuance of benefits to ineligible alien applicants. The VIS database is the DHS-USCIS system available to the CA-DSS and other covered agencies for use in making these eligibility determinations. CA-DSS will access information contained in VIS for the purpose of confirming the immigration status of alien applicants for, or recipients of, benefits it administers in order to discharge its obligation to conduct such verifications pursuant to Section 1137 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 1320b-7(a) et seq.). Pursuant to Section 840 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, verification of applicants for Food Stamps or SNAP through DHS/USCIS is optional for CA-DSS. CA- DSS has elected to use the VIS for all alien applicants for Food Stamps or SNAP for the length of this Agreement.
Purpose and Legal Authorities
