This bill, the Timely and Accurate Benefits Act, would require each State to buy and use an "Enhanced Income Verification Platform" within one year to receive Federal funds for any program where eligibility or benefit amounts are based on income. The bill defines "covered Federal benefit program" as any federally funded program that uses an individual's or household's income to determine eligibility or benefit size. It defines "enhanced gross income" to include many income sources such as wages, unemployment compensation, Social Security, SSI, interest and dividends, rental income, royalties, child support and alimony, cash assistance, gifts, trust or estate distributions, and other income the Secretary identifies. The bill describes the platform as an automated system that matches and analyzes data in real time to find unreported or inconsistent income, can receive applicant-permissioned deposit account transaction data to identify income not in current data sources, lets claimants review and attest to data accuracy, and can consolidate overlapping records to avoid double-counting.
If your state administers income-based benefits with federal funds, the state would need to procure and use the described verification platform. People applying for or receiving benefits could be asked to give permission for the platform to access deposit account transaction data so the system can identify income sources not already in government records. The bill lists many types of income the platform would check when verifying eligibility or benefit amounts.
No publicly available information on federal or state costs, funding sources, or estimated savings is included in the bill text or provided metadata.
No publicly available information in the bill text or metadata describes supporters' arguments or stated benefits.
No publicly available information in the bill text or metadata describes opponents' arguments or stated concerns.