245

* § 245. Automated identification of program participants. 1. For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings: (a) 'Office' shall mean the state office of temporary and disability assistance. (b) 'Home energy assistance program' shall mean the low-income home energy assistance program implemented pursuant to section ninety-seven of the social services law. 2. The department of health shall update the elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage program application to allow program participants to consent, in a manner that is separate and apart from other requests for consent contained in the application, to the exchange of such participant's information to verify such enrollee's eligibility for the home energy assistance program. Upon receipt of such consent, the department of taxation and finance shall confirm such participant's income at the time of enrollment. 3. The department of health shall coordinate with the office to facilitate the secure transmission of data through an interface with the office's information technology infrastructure. 4. No less than once per month, the office, upon receipt of the required data elements from the

cure transmission of data through an interface with the office's information technology infrastructure. 4. No less than once per month, the office, upon receipt of the required data elements from the department of health and the department of taxation and finance, as such data elements are defined by the office, shall conduct automated file matching to identify elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage program participants who are eligible for the home energy assistance program. Within sixty days of receipt that an elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage program participant's eligibility for the home energy assistance program is confirmed, the office shall enroll such elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage program participant in the home energy assistance program. 5. Upon automatic enrollment in the home energy assistance program, the department of health shall provide written notification to the elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage program participant of their enrollment in such program and shall provide information regarding the program's benefits. 6. The office, in consultation with the department of health, is authorized to promulgate any rules and regulations

ent in such program and shall provide information regarding the program's benefits. 6. The office, in consultation with the department of health, is authorized to promulgate any rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this section. * NB Effective June 19, 2025