Wis. Stat. § 49.78 — WI Code / Chapter 49 / Section 49.78
Income maintenance administration.
Status: in_force

(1) Definitions. In this section:

(b) “Income maintenance program” means the Medical Assistance program under subch. IV , the Badger Care health care program under s. 49.665 , the food stamp program under 7 USC 2011 to 2036 except for the employment and training program described in s. 49.79 (9) , or the cemetery, funeral, and burial expenses program under s. 49.785 .

(br) “Multicounty consortium” means a group of counties that is approved by the department under sub. (1m) to administer income maintenance programs.

(cr) “Tribal governing body” means an elected governing body of a federally recognized American Indian tribe.

(1m) Multicounty consortia.

(a) No later than 6 months after March 25, 2026, each county with a population of less than 750,000 shall participate in a multicounty consortium or a partnership with a tribal income maintenance program that is approved by the department under par. (b) .

(b) By October 31, 2011, the department shall approve multicounty consortia. The department may not approve more than 10 multicounty consortia.

(c) If the department determines that a multicounty consortium does not satisfy the department’s performance requirements, the department shall assume responsibility for administering income maintenance programs in the geographical area of the multicounty consortium. The department may provide income maintenance program administration under this paragraph by contracting with another multicounty consortium or by providing the administrative services with state resources and employees.

(d) If the department assumes responsibility for administering income maintenance programs in the geographical area of the multicounty consortium under par. (c) , any county for which the department administers income maintenance programs shall pay to the department the amount that the county expended for the administration of income maintenance programs in the calendar year preceding the department’s assumption of responsibility.

(1r) Single county consortia. The department shall administer income maintenance programs in a county with a population of 750,000 or more as a single-county consortium, including the administrative functions specified in sub. (2) (b) 1.

(2) Contracts with multicounty consortia.

(a) Annually, beginning with contracts for 2012, the department shall enter into a contract with each multicounty consortium to administer income maintenance programs in the multicounty consortium’s geographical area.

(b) A contract under par. (a) shall provide all of the following:

1. That the multicounty consortia shall be responsible for all of the following administrative functions related to income maintenance programs:

a. Operating and maintaining a call center.

b. Conducting application processing and eligibility determinations.

c. Conducting ongoing case management.

d. Providing lobby services.

2. That the department and multicounty consortia shall cooperate to provide the following administrative functions related to the income maintenance programs:

a. Conducting subrogation and benefit recovery efforts.

b. Participating in fair hearings.

c. Conducting fraud prevention and identification activities.

3. That the department will reimburse a multicounty consortium for services provided under the contract using a method determined by the department.

(2m) Administration by a tribal governing body.

(a) A tribal governing body may administer income maintenance programs by electing to have the department administer the tribe’s income maintenance programs or by providing the required administrative services and entering into a contract with the department for reimbursement under par. (b) .

(b) Annually, for the income maintenance administrative program functions, if any, that the department delegates to a tribal governing body, the department and tribal governing body may enter into a contract, for reimbursement of the tribal governing body for the reasonable cost of administering income maintenance programs.

(c) The amount of each reimbursement paid under a contract entered into par. (b) shall be calculated using a formula based on workload within the limits of state and federal funds. The department may adjust reimbursement amounts determined under the contract for workload changes and computer network activities performed by a tribal governing body.

(2r) Departmental administrative functions. The department shall perform all of the following administrative functions related to income maintenance programs:

(a) Providing income maintenance worker training.

(b) Performing 2nd-party reviews.

(c) Administering the funeral expenses program under s. 49.785 .

(d) Providing information technology and licenses for call centers that are operated by multicounty consortia.

(e) Maintaining the client assistance reemployment and economic support system.

(f) Contracting with multicounty consortia under sub. (2) , including establishing performance requirements.

(g) Contracting with tribal governing bodies under sub. (2m) , including establishing performance requirements.

(h) Monitoring contracts with multicounty consortia and tribal governing bodies, including compliance with performance standards and federal and other reporting requirements.

(i) Operating a centralized document processing unit.

(3) Rules. The department shall promulgate rules establishing standards of competency, including training requirements, for income maintenance workers.

(4) Rules; merit system. The department of children and families shall promulgate rules for the efficient administration of aid to families with dependent children in agreement with the requirement for federal aid, including the establishment and maintenance of personnel standards on a merit basis. The provisions of this section relating to personnel standards on a merit basis supersede any inconsistent provisions of any law relating to county personnel. This subsection shall not be construed to invalidate the provisions of s. 46.22 (1) (d) .

(5) Personnel examinations. Statewide examinations to ascertain qualifications of applicants in any county department administering aid to families with dependent children shall be given by the director of the bureau of merit recruitment and selection in the department of administration. The department of administration shall be reimbursed for actual expenditures incurred in the performance of its functions under this section from the appropriations available to the department of children and families for administrative expenditures.

(6) Personnel lists. All persons who are qualified as a result of examinations shall be certified to the counties in which they reside at the time of examination; if there are no resident qualified persons for any class of positions on the list certified to the county, appointments shall be made from available lists without regard to residence within the county.

(7) County personnel systems. Pursuant to rules promulgated under sub. (4) , the department of children and families where requested by the county shall delegate to that county, without restriction because of enumeration, any or all of the authority of the department of children and families under sub. (4) to establish and maintain personnel standards including salary levels.

(8) Reimbursement for income maintenance administration.

(a) From the appropriations under s. 20.435 (4) (bn) and (nn) and subject to par. (b) , the department shall provide funding to reimburse each multicounty consortium that contracts with the department under sub. (2) and each tribal governing body that contracts with the department under sub. (2m) for the costs of administering the income maintenance programs, including conducting fraud prevention activities, in accordance with the terms of the applicable contract. The amount of reimbursement calculated under this paragraph and par. (b) is in addition to any reimbursement provided to a county, multicounty consortium, or tribal governing body for fraud and error reduction under s. 49.197 or 49.845 .

(b) The department may reduce the amount of any reimbursement if federal reimbursement is withheld due to audits, quality control samples, or program reviews.

(10) Reimbursement certification.

(a) An authorized representative from each multicounty consortium that contracts with the department under sub. (2) and each tribal governing body that contracts with the department under sub. (2m) shall certify monthly under oath to the department in such manner as the department prescribes the claim of the multicounty consortium or tribal governing body for state reimbursement under sub. (8) (a) . The department shall review each claim of reimbursement and, if the department approves the claim, the department shall certify to the department of administration for reimbursement to the multicounty consortium or tribal governing body for amounts due under sub. (8) (a) and payment claimed to be made to the multicounty consortia or tribal governing bodies monthly. The department may make advance payments prior to the beginning of each month equal to one-twelfth of the contracted amount.

(b) To facilitate prompt reimbursement the certificate of the department may be based on the certified statements of the authorized representatives of multicounty consortia or tribal governing body executives filed under par. (a) . Funds recovered from audit adjustments from a prior fiscal year may be included in subsequent certifications only to pay counties or multicounty consortia owed funds as a result of any audit adjustment. By September 30 annually, the department shall submit a report to the appropriate standing committees under s. 13.172 (3) on funds recovered and paid out during the previous calendar year as a result of audit adjustments.

(11) Requirement to provide information.

(a)

1. The department, a county department under s. 46.215 , 46.22 , or 46.23 , a multicounty consortium, or a tribal governing body may request from any person in this state information it determines appropriate and necessary for determining or verifying eligibility or benefits for a recipient under any income maintenance program. Unless access to the information is prohibited or restricted by law, or unless the person has good cause, as determined by the department in accordance with federal law and regulations, for refusing to cooperate, the person shall make a good faith effort to provide the information within 7 days after receiving a request under this paragraph. The department, county department, multicounty consortium, or tribal governing body, or employees of any of them, may not disclose information obtained under this subdivision for any purpose not connected with the administration of the income maintenance program for which the information was requested.

2. In conjunction with any request for information under subd. 1. , including a request made by subpoena under par. (b) , the department, county department, multicounty consortium, or tribal governing body shall advise the person of the time by which the information must be provided.

(b) The department, a county department, a multicounty consortium, or a tribal governing body may issue a subpoena, in substantially the form authorized under s. 885.02 , to compel the production of financial information or other documentary evidence for determining or verifying eligibility or benefits for a recipient under any income maintenance program.

(c) A person is not liable to any person for any of the following:

1. Allowing access to financial or other records by the department, a county department, a multicounty consortium, or a tribal governing body in response to a request under par. (a) or a subpoena described in par. (b) .

2. Disclosing information from financial or other records to the department, a county department, a multicounty consortium, or a tribal governing body in response to a request under par. (a) or a subpoena described in par. (b) .

3. Any other action taken in good faith to comply with this subsection or a subpoena described in par. (b) or to comply with a request for information or access to records from the department, a county department, a multicounty consortium, or a tribal governing body for determining or verifying eligibility or benefits for a recipient under any income maintenance program.

History: 1995 a. 27 ss. 2041 to 2049 , 2933 to 2936 , 3084 to 3087 , 3130 ; 1995 a. 289 , 417 ; 1997 a. 27 ; 2001 a. 16 ; 2003 a. 33 ss. 1308 , 1448 , 9160 ; Stats. 2003 s. 49.78; 2005 a. 25 ; 2007 a. 20 ; 2009 a. 15 , 28 ; 2011 a. 32 ; 2013 a. 20 ; 2015 a. 55 ; 2017 a. 365 s. 111 ; 2025 a. 116 ; s. 35.17 correction in (1m) (a).