LD 866
pg. 1
LD 866 Title Page An Act Concerning Recovery of Expenses under the General Assistance Laws LD 866 Title Page
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LR 1545
Item 1

 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

 
Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §4318, 2nd ¶, as amended by PL 1995, c. 462, Pt. A,
§44, is further amended to read:

 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, municipalities
have a lien for the value of all general assistance payments
made to a recipient on any lump sum payment made to that
recipient under the former Workers' Compensation Act, the
Maine Workers' Compensation Act of 1992 or similar law of any
other state after deduction of reasonable attorney's fees and
litigation costs from that lump sum payment.

 
Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §4318, 3rd__, as amended by PL 1991, c. 780, Pt. R,
§5, is further amended to read:

 
The department shall enter into an agreement with the Social
Security Administration to institute an interim assistance
reimbursement for the purpose of the repayment of state and
local funds expended for providing assistance to Supplemental
Security Income applicants or recipients while the
Supplemental Security Income payments are pending or
suspended. Written authorization must be given by the
recipients and must provide that reimbursement will be made
after deduction of reasonable attorney's fees and litigation
costs.

 
SUMMARY

 
This bill provides that reasonable attorney's fees and
litigation costs will be paid when a governmental entity seeks
to recover general assistance benefits from a recipient who is
awarded a lump sum payment under the workers' compensation
laws or who receive federal Supplemental Security Income
payments.


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