Section 201. State Participation in Cooperative Federal Programs.--The department shall have the power and its duties shall be:
(1) With the approval of the Governor, to act as the sole agency of the State when applying for, receiving and using Federal funds for the financing in whole or in part of programs in fields in which the department has responsibility.
(2) With the approval of the Governor, to develop and submit State plans or other proposals to the Federal government, to promulgate regulations, establish and enforce standards and to take such other measures as may be necessary to render the Commonwealth eligible for available Federal funds or other assistance. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the act of July 31, 1968 (P.L.769, No.240), referred to as the Commonwealth Documents Law, the department may omit notice of proposed rulemaking and promulgate regulations as final when a delay of thirty days or less in the final adoption of regulations will result in the loss of Federal funds or when a delay of thirty days or less in adoption would require the replacement of Federal funds with State funds.
(3) To make surveys and inventories of existing facilities and services as required in connection with such State plans, and to assess the need for construction, modernization or additional services and to determine priorities with respect thereto.
(4) To conduct investigations of activities related to fraud, misuse or theft of public assistance moneys, medical assistance moneys or benefits, or Federal food stamps, committed by any person who is or has been participating in or administering programs of the department, or by persons who aid or abet others in the commission of fraudulent acts affecting welfare programs.
(5) To collect data on its programs and services, including efforts aimed at preventative health care, to provide the General Assembly with adequate information to determine the most cost-effective allocation of resources in the medical assistance program.
(6) To submit on a biannual basis a report to the General Assembly regarding the medical assistance population, which shall include aggregate figures, delineated on a monthly basis, for the number of individuals to whom services were provided, the type and incidence of services provided by procedure and the cost per service as well as total expenditures by service.
(201 amended June 16, 1994, P.L.319, No.49)
Compiler's Note: The Department of Public Welfare, referred to in this section, was redesignated as the Department of Human Services by Act 132 of 2014.
Compiler's Note: Section 16 of Act 49 of 1994, which amended section 201, provided that the Department of Public Welfare shall report to the General Assembly, no later than six months from the effective date of Act 49, on the policies and procedures instituted to implement section 201(5), as well as the nature of the information to be provided.