The state of Pennsylvania will pay the federal government $48.8 million to settle claims that it provided Medicaid and other benefits to non-citizens who should not have been covered, the Department of Justice announced Friday.
The federal government had accused the state of providing Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to ineligible aliens.
In a statement Friday, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, said, “The department remains committed to protecting taxpayer funds and ensuring our most vulnerable individuals receive the benefits for which they are eligible.” The settlement did not include any admission of liability on the department's part.
Only documented aliens who meet certain low-income requirements and have been in the country for more than five years may receive non-emergency Medicaid and the other benefits, under the Personal Responsibility Work Opportunity Act, according to the Department of Justice.
The government had alleged that Pennsylvania provided the benefits to people who weren't eligible between 2004 and 2010.
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