01/28/2016 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

            HB 262-SENIOR BENEFITS PROG. ELIGIBILITY                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:23:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEATON announced  that the next order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL NO. 262, "An  Act relating to eligibility requirements                                                               
of the Alaska senior benefits  payment program; and providing for                                                               
an effective date."                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SEAN  O'BRIEN, Director,  Director's Office,  Division of  Public                                                               
Assistance,  Department of  Health  and  Social Services  (DHSS),                                                               
summarized the senior benefits program  to Alaskan seniors with a                                                               
low to moderate  income as three different  cash benefit amounts,                                                               
$125, $175,  and $250 per month,  dependent on the income  of the                                                               
applicant and tied to the  Alaska Federal Poverty Guidelines.  He                                                               
explained that the intent of proposed  HB 262 was four fold:  one                                                               
additional  eligibility requirement  for  the necessity  to be  a                                                               
U.S. citizen or qualified alien  is added; qualified aliens would                                                               
be  eligible  with  all other  public  assistance  programs;  the                                                               
original intent of the program to  be in alignment with the adult                                                               
public assistance  program is corrected  with this  one criteria;                                                               
and, about $43,000 annually based  on the 16 non-qualified aliens                                                               
currently known to be in the  system is saved.  He reported that,                                                               
in order  to meet  citizenship requirements, a  person must  be a                                                               
U.S. citizen or national, or a  qualified alien.  He noted that a                                                               
qualified  alien must  have  been  in the  U.S.  for five  years,                                                               
whereas a  non-qualified alien  would either  be someone  who the                                                               
U.S. Immigration Service  is aware of but has no  plan to deport;                                                               
a  non-immigrant,   an  individual  in  the   U.S.  lawfully  but                                                               
temporarily; or  an illegal alien.   He  reported that of  the 16                                                               
aforementioned non-qualified individuals, 12  had not yet met the                                                               
five  year  waiting period,  3  were  non-immigrants, and  1  was                                                               
illegal.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SEATON  asked  for  clarification  about  the  three  non-                                                               
immigrants.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. O'BRIEN  explained that these individuals  were here lawfully                                                               
but on a  temporary basis, such as work visas,  student visas, or                                                               
diplomats.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SEATON  asked  about  the amounts  paid  relative  to  the                                                               
percentage of poverty.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
4:29:22 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MONICA MITCHELL, Chief, Policy  and Program Development, Division                                                               
of Public  Assistance, Department of Health  and Social Services,                                                               
explained  that the  monthly payment  of $250  was for  an income                                                               
level up  to 75 percent  of the  federal poverty level,  the $175                                                               
monthly  payment was  for  an  income level  between  75 and  100                                                               
percent of  federal poverty level,  and the $125  monthly payment                                                               
was  for  income between  100  percent  and  175 percent  of  the                                                               
federal poverty level.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SEATON  directed  attention  to  page 2,  line  5  of  the                                                               
proposed bill, and asked for  clarification regarding the payment                                                               
of $120 a month.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS. MITCHELL  offered her belief  that this senior  benefit could                                                               
be a  holdover from  the general  assistance program  which would                                                               
need to be corrected.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEATON asked for this  to be identified, and, if necessary,                                                               
cleaned up at this time.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TARR opined  that this  was in  reference to  the                                                               
senior longevity program.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEATON asked for the definitive answer.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ declared her  support of the proposed bill                                                               
as  it closed  a  loophole.   She  asked  if  the general  relief                                                               
statutes  should also  be  addressed and  imposed  with the  same                                                               
requirement.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. O'BRIEN said he would review this.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
4:32:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEATON  opened public testimony.   After  ascertaining that                                                               
no one wished to testify, closed public testimony.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
[HB 262 was held over.]