AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 43-12-5, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES AND THE DIVISION OF MEDICAID TO USE AN ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION SERVICE NO LESS FREQUENTLY THAN QUARTERLY BETWEEN ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATIONS; TO CREATE NEW SECTION 43-12-6, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES AND THE DIVISION OF MEDICAID TO MONTHLY ASSESS CONTINUED ELIGIBILITY BASED ON A REVIEW OF FEDERAL DATA SOURCES; TO CREATE NEW SECTION 43-12-10, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE NOT UNITED STATES CITIZENS SHALL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR SNAP OR MEDICAID UNLESS THE INDIVIDUAL MEETS THE DEFINITION OF AN ELIGIBLE ALIEN; TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES AND THE DIVISION OF MEDICAID MUST VERIFY THE ELIGIBILITY OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS DURING ENROLLMENT AND ELIGIBILITY REDETERMINATION USING THE SAVE SERVICE; TO REQUIRE THE DIVISION AND THE DEPARTMENT TO REPORT TO THE APPROPRIATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES OR FEDERAL AGENCIES INFORMATION CONCERNING ANY HOUSEHOLD MEMBER FOR WHOM IT IS UNABLE TO VERIFY ELIGIBLE ALIEN STATUS; TO CREATE NEW SECTION 43-12-18, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE DIVISION OF MEDICAID TO LIMIT RETROACTIVE ELIGIBILITY FOR MEDICAID TO NO MORE THAN TWO MONTHS BEFORE THE MONTH IN WHICH A PERSON SUBMITS A COMPLETED APPLICATION; TO CREATE NEW SECTION 43-12-20, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE DIVISION OF MEDICAID TO CONDUCT ELIGIBILITY REDETERMINATIONS FOR ALL NONELDERLY ADULT MEDICAID RECIPIENTS AT LEAST ONCE EVERY SIX MONTHS, AND AT LEAST ONCE EVERY TWELVE MONTHS FOR ALL OTHER MEDICAID RECIPIENTS; TO CREATE NEW SECTION 43-12-24, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO ASSIGN CERTIFICATION PERIODS FOR ELIGIBILITY FOR THE SNAP PROGRAM NO GREATER THAN FOUR MONTHS TO CERTAIN HOUSEHOLDS, AND PERIODS OF ONE OR TWO MONTHS FOR CERTAIN OTHER HOUSEHOLDS; TO AMEND SECTION 43-12-29, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO VERIFY IDENTITY, HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION AND EXPENSES BEFORE CERTIFICATION OR RECERTIFICATION; TO PROHIBIT THE DEPARTMENT FROM ACCEPTING THE SELF-ATTESTATION OR SELF-DECLARATION OF AN APPLICANT OR ENROLLED AS VERIFICATION OF INCOME, ASSETS OR EXPENSES; TO PROHIBIT THE DIVISION OF MEDICAID FROM ACCEPTING ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATIONS FROM A HEALTH INSURANCE EXCHANGE; TO PROHIBIT THE DIVISION OF MEDICAID FROM ACCEPTING SELF-ATTESTATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION WITHOUT VERIFYING THAT INFORMATION BEFORE ENROLLMENT; TO AMEND SECTION 43-12-39, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THAT THE REPORT PROVIDED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO THE LEGISLATURE ABOUT SNAP AND TANF BENEFIT SPENDING TO INCLUDE THE NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS IN WHICH TRANSACTIONS OCCURRED EXCLUSIVELY OUTSIDE THIS STATE FOR SIXTY CONSECUTIVE DAYS; TO AMEND SECTION 43-12-41, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THAT THE REPORT PROVIDED BY THE DIVISION OF MEDICAID AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO THE LEGISLATURE TO INCLUDE EFFORTS BY THE DIVISION AND DEPARTMENT TO MINIMIZE ELIGIBILITY ERRORS AND FRAUD AND REQUIRE THAT CERTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BE INCLUDED IN THE REPORT; TO AMEND SECTION 43-13-115.1, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CONFORM TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
HB 1387 revises Mississippi’s Transparency and Fraud Prevention Act for Medicaid, SNAP, and TANF by tightening eligibility verification and recertification procedures. The bill requires the Department of Human Services and the Division of Medicaid to use a computerized eligibility verification service at least quarterly between redeterminations, and to assess continued eligibility monthly using federal data sources such as Social Security, HUD, the National Directory of New Hires, FBI fleeing-felon data, and USPS address changes. It also directs more frequent redeterminations for Medicaid, shorter SNAP certification periods for certain households, and limits Medicaid retroactive eligibility to no more than two months before application.
The bill adds new citizenship and immigration-status rules for SNAP and Medicaid. Non-citizens would be ineligible unless they meet federal “eligible alien” and “qualified alien” standards, and the agencies must verify status through SAVE or acceptable documents. It also requires reporting to federal or law-enforcement authorities when eligible alien status cannot be verified or when a person is determined to be unlawfully present. For hospitals participating in Medicaid, the bill requires collection and reporting of patient citizenship or immigration-status indicators and annual reporting on uncompensated care for unlawfully present aliens.
HB 1387 also changes how eligibility is documented. DHS would have to verify identity, household composition, expenses, and other eligibility factors before SNAP certification or recertification, and generally could not rely on self-attestation for income, assets, or expenses. The Division of Medicaid would be prohibited from accepting eligibility determinations from a health insurance exchange, and it could not accept self-attested information for certain Medicaid factors without verification before enrollment. The bill also expands annual reporting on out-of-state SNAP/TANF spending, fraud investigations, improper payments, recovery efforts, database matches, and timeliness metrics.
The overall sentiment reflected by the bill text is strongly oriented toward program integrity, fraud prevention, and tighter administrative control, with no recorded committee debate or votes available in the provided materials. Because there are no transcripts or voting records, there is no direct evidence of support or opposition from legislators in the context provided. The structure and findings language suggest the bill is intended to be framed as an anti-fraud and eligibility-enforcement measure rather than a benefit-expansion or access-oriented bill.
Notable points of contention likely center on the bill’s stricter verification requirements, especially the limits on self-attestation, the more frequent redeterminations, the immigration-status reporting provisions, and the hospital reporting requirements. These provisions could be viewed by critics as increasing administrative burden, creating barriers to enrollment, or raising privacy and access concerns, while supporters would likely emphasize reduced improper payments, better eligibility accuracy, and stronger enforcement against fraud and ineligible enrollment.
HB 1387 would substantially amend Mississippi Code Title 43, Chapter 12, by expanding eligibility verification duties for the Department of Human Services and the Division of Medicaid and by adding new reporting and enforcement requirements. It would require more frequent use of eligibility verification services, monthly federal data checks, shorter SNAP certification periods in certain cases, more frequent Medicaid redeterminations, tighter limits on retroactive Medicaid coverage, and stricter documentation rules for income, residency, household composition, and immigration status. It also would add new hospital reporting obligations and expand annual legislative reporting on fraud, improper payments, and out-of-state benefit use. The bill would affect Medicaid applicants and recipients, SNAP households, DHS and Medicaid administrators, hospitals that accept Medicaid, and potentially federal agencies receiving status referrals or reports.
The bill’s apparent sentiment is generally pro-enforcement and anti-fraud, with the stated purpose of improving program integrity, reducing improper payments, and tightening eligibility controls. Because no committee transcripts or votes were provided, there is no documented floor or committee sentiment to report beyond the bill’s text and caption. The measure is presented as a transparency and fraud-prevention revision, indicating a policy emphasis on verification, oversight, and administrative accountability rather than benefit access or expansion.
The most likely areas of contention are the bill’s immigration-status provisions, the requirement to report unverifiable or unlawful status to federal or law-enforcement authorities, and the prohibition on relying on self-attestation for key eligibility factors. Critics may argue these provisions could deter eligible applicants, increase paperwork and delays, and create privacy or due-process concerns, especially in Medicaid and SNAP enrollment. The hospital admission-status reporting requirements and the more frequent Medicaid and SNAP reviews may also be contested as burdensome for providers and administrators. Supporters would likely argue these measures are necessary to prevent fraud, improve accuracy, and ensure that benefits go only to eligible recipients.