239.6  Public assistance programs — applicant and recipient eligibility verification.
  1.  All applications for initial public assistance program benefits and all determinations of ongoing recipient eligibility shall be processed through a system as specified in this section. Complete initial applications shall be processed within the minimum period required by federal law. Prior to determining initial eligibility of an applicant for, or ongoing eligibility of a recipient of, public assistance, the department shall access information for every applicant or recipient from the following federal, state, and other sources:
  a.  Federal sources and information:
  (1)  Earned and unearned income information maintained by the internal revenue service.
  (2)  The following sources and information maintained by the United States social security administration:
  (a)  Earned income information.
  (b)  Death register information.
  (c)  Prisoner or incarceration status information.
  (d)  Supplemental security income information maintained in the state data exchange database.
  (e)  Beneficiary records and earnings information maintained in the beneficiary and earnings data exchange database.
  (f)  Earnings information maintained in the beneficiary earnings exchange record system database.
  (3)  The following sources and information maintained by the United States department of health and human services:
  (a)  Income and employment information maintained in the national directory of new hires database by the office of child support enforcement of the administration for children and families.
  (b)  Other federal data sources maintained by the office of child support enforcement of the administration for children and families.
  (4)  Information maintained by the United States citizenship and immigration services of the United States department of homeland security.
  (5)  National fleeing felon information maintained by the United States federal bureau of investigation.
  b.  State sources and information:
  (1)  The department’s sources and information including but not limited to all of the following:
  (a)  Income and employment information maintained by child support services.
  (b)  Child care assistance information maintained by the department.
  (c)  Enrollment status in other public assistance programs.
  (2)  The department of workforce development sources and information including all of the following:
  (a)  Employment information.
  (b)  Employer weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports of income and unemployment insurance payments.
  c.  Other sources including all of the following:
  (1)  Any existing real-time database of persons currently receiving benefits in other states, such as the national accuracy clearinghouse.
  (2)  An available database of persons who currently hold a license, permit, or certificate from any state agency, the cost of which exceeds five hundred dollars.
  (3)  Wage reporting and similar information maintained by states contiguous to Iowa.
  (4)  A third-party consumer reporting agency, as defined by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. §1681a, for the purpose of obtaining real-time employment and income information.
  2.  Prior to determining the initial eligibility of an applicant for, or the ongoing eligibility of a recipient of, public assistance benefits, the department shall access information for every applicant or recipient from, at a minimum, the following public records:
  a.  A nationwide public records data source of physical asset ownership. The data source may include but is not limited to real property, automobiles, watercraft, aircraft, and luxury vehicles, or any other vehicle owned by the applicant for or recipient of assistance.
  b.  A nationwide public records data source of incarcerated individuals.
  c.  A nationwide best address and driver’s license data source to verify that individuals are residents of the state.
  d.  A comprehensive public records database from which the department may identify potential identity fraud or identity theft that is capable of closely associating name, social security number, date of birth, phone, and address information.
  e.  National and local financial institutions in order to locate undisclosed depository accounts or verify account balances of disclosed accounts.
  f.  Outstanding default or arrest warrant information.
  3.  The state may contract with a third-party consumer reporting agency, as defined by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. §1681a, for the purpose of obtaining real-time employment and income information under this section.
2023 Acts, ch 104, §6