Immigration-Fair Employment and Security
SECTION 213.
(a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the MassHealth program within the executive office of health and human services shall, not later than July 31, 2013, use the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE system, to verify the immigration status of all persons who apply for benefits with an alien admission number or alien file number.
Consistent with federal and state law and notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, the SAVE system may be incorporated into a system for the executive office of health and human services and all agencies organized therein, to determine common eligibility standards for applicants. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the development of a system of common eligibility standards that includes additional agencies outside the executive office of health and human services, provided, however, that such system shall include the use of the SAVE system.
(b) The executive office of health and human services or the executive office for administration and finance shall, not later than March 1, 2013, report to the senate and house committees on ways and means the status of the implementation of the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE system, to verify the immigration status of all persons who apply for benefits with an alien admission number or alien file number.
(c) Annually, on or before February 1, the executive office of health and human services shall report to the senate and house committees on ways and means and the executive office for administration and finance: (i) the amount of money recovered from recipients, providers or other vendors who fraudulently received benefits or payments under chapter 118E of the General Laws and (ii) the costs incurred by the executive office of health and human services to verify the immigration status through the SAVE system.