Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 218 - Department of Human Services › Chapter 10 - General Provisions › Subchapter 00 - N/A › Part 1 - General Provisions › Section 218-RICR-10-00-1.3 - Eligibility

Current through June 14, 2024
A. The Department of Human Services (DHS)
				  matches various databases, including those provided through the Federal Data
				  Hub to verify eligibility for, and the amount of, benefits due to a household
				  or individual for Medicaid (MA), the Rhode Island Works Program (RIW), General
				  Public Assistance (GPA), Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) and the
				  Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through the state's electronic
				  eligibility system, known as RIBridges. The RIBridges system compares benefit
				  information and other data with the DHS applicant or recipient by social
				  security number (SSN) for purposes of identifying unreported information. The
				  process of matching databases is considered an interface; an interface match
				  occurs when an applicant's or recipient's SSN exists in both
				  databases.
B. The current
				  interfaces utilized by the DHS are as follows:
1. New Hires Interface - provides information
				  from the State Directory of New Hires about individuals who have been newly
				  hired and their place of employment. Individuals' SSNs on the New Hire file are
				  matched against the state's electronic eligibility system.
2. IRS Match Summary - provides information
				  about unearned income, specifically, interest and dividend income. Information
				  provided by the IRS interface includes the amount of interest and/or dividends
				  received for each account for a specific tax year.
3. Unemployment Insurance (UI) Interface -
				  matches applicants or recipients in the DHS assistance programs to the
				  Unemployment Insurance active claimants through the Rhode Island Department of
				  Labor and Training (DLT). The files are processed against the state's
				  electronic eligibility system database to determine whether the correct UI
				  amount is reflected in the case with a matched SSN of an applicant or recipient
				  or case member in the DHS whose income and/or resources is used in eligibility
				  determination.
4. Temporary
				  Disability Insurance (TDI) Interface - matches applicants or recipients in the
				  DHS assistance programs to the Unemployment Insurance active claimants through
				  the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT). The files are
				  processed against the state's electronic eligibility system database to
				  determine whether the correct TDI amount is reflected in the case with a
				  matched SSN of an applicant or recipient or case member in the DHS whose income
				  and/or resources is used in eligibility determination.
5. Prisoner Inquiry Interface - provides
				  information about the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (DOC) and the
				  Social Security Administration (SSA) concerning prison inmates. The DOC and the
				  SSA send files to the DHS of individuals' SSNs whose incarceration has been
				  reported for comparison of applicants and recipients of all the DHS assistance
				  programs.
6. Beneficiary Data
				  Exchange Interface (Bendex) - provides information from the Social Security
				  Administration about an individual's Social Security and Medicare
				  benefits.
7. Public Assistance
				  Reporting Information System (PARIS) Inquiry - an interface that provides
				  information about benefits active individuals may be receiving from other
				  states.
8. DCYF Interface -
				  provides information for transitioning cases between the Department of Human
				  Services (DHS) and the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) for
				  family members that are placed into Foster Care by the DCYF and for those
				  family members who are returned to the household via reunification.
9. State Data Exchange (SDX) Individual
				  Inquiry Interface - provides information of Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
				  payments for an individual from the Social Security Administration.
10. 40 Quarters Information Interface -
				  provides information for a Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) who can be credited
				  with forty (40) qualifying quarters of work under the Social Security System
				  (credits may be earned individually, in combination with a spouse and in some
				  circumstances a parent), may be eligible for benefits without having to meet
				  the five-year bar.
11. Electronic
				  Disqualified Recipient System (EDRS) Inquiry - an interface that accesses the
				  most up-to-date comprehensive data on disqualified applicants or recipients
				  receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
12. The Systematic Alien Verification for
				  Entitlements Program (SAVE) interface - provides a fast, secure and efficient
				  verification service for federal, state and local benefit-granting agencies to
				  verify an applicant's immigration status or naturalization/derived citizenship.
				  SAVE is administered by the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a
				  component of the Department of Homeland Security. The SAVE Program enables
				  agencies to obtain immigration status information to determine a non-citizen
				  applicant's eligibility for benefits.