2015 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 17b - Social Services
Chapter 319s - Financial Assistance
Section 17b-90 - (Formerly Sec. 17-83). Disclosure of information concerning program applicants and participants. Limitations. Regulations.

(a) The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, necessary to enable him to carry out the programs the Department of Social Services is designated to administer pursuant to section 17b-2, including any regulations necessary for receiving grants from the federal government to this state if the absence of any such regulation would result in the loss of such grants and regulations governing the custody and use of the records, papers, files and communications concerning persons applying for or receiving assistance under said sections. When names and addresses of recipients of such assistance are required by law to be furnished to or held by any other government agency, such agency shall adopt regulations to prevent the publication of lists thereof or their use for purposes not directly connected with the administration of said programs.

(b) No person shall, except for purposes directly connected with the administration of programs of the Department of Social Services and in accordance with the regulations of the commissioner, solicit, disclose, receive or make use of, or authorize, knowingly permit, participate in or acquiesce in the use of, any list of the names of, or any information concerning, persons applying for or receiving assistance from the Department of Social Services or persons participating in a program administered by said department, directly or indirectly derived from the records, papers, files or communications of the state or its subdivisions or agencies, or acquired in the course of the performance of official duties. The Commissioner of Social Services shall disclose (1) to any authorized representative of the Labor Commissioner such information directly related to unemployment compensation, administered pursuant to chapter 567 or information necessary for implementation of sections 17b-688b, 17b-688c and 17b-688h and section 122 of public act 97-2 of the June 18 special session*, (2) to any authorized representative of the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services any information necessary for the implementation and operation of the basic needs supplement program, (3) to any authorized representative of the Commissioner of Administrative Services or the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection such information as the Commissioner of Social Services determines is directly related to and necessary for the Department of Administrative Services or the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection for purposes of performing their functions of collecting social services recoveries and overpayments or amounts due as support in social services cases, investigating social services fraud or locating absent parents of public assistance recipients, (4) to any authorized representative of the Commissioner of Children and Families necessary information concerning a child or the immediate family of a child receiving services from the Department of Social Services, including safety net services, if (A) the Commissioner of Children and Families or the Commissioner of Social Services has determined that imminent danger to such child’s health, safety or welfare exists to target the services of the family services programs administered by the Department of Children and Families, or (B) the Commissioner of Children and Families requires access to the federal Parent Locator Service established pursuant to 88 Stat. 2353 (1975), 42 USC 653 in order to identify a parent or putative parent of a child, (5) to a town official or other contractor or authorized representative of the Labor Commissioner such information concerning an applicant for or a recipient of assistance under state-administered general assistance deemed necessary by the Commissioner of Social Services and the Labor Commissioner to carry out their respective responsibilities to serve such persons under the programs administered by the Labor Department that are designed to serve applicants for or recipients of state-administered general assistance, (6) to any authorized representative of the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services for the purposes of the behavioral health managed care program established by section 17a-453, (7) to any authorized representative of the Commissioner of Early Childhood to carry out his or her respective responsibilities under programs that regulate child day care services or youth camps, (8) to a health insurance provider, in IV-D support cases, as defined in subdivision (13) of subsection (b) of section 46b-231, information concerning a child and the custodial parent of such child that is necessary to enroll such child in a health insurance plan available through such provider when the noncustodial parent of such child is under court order to provide health insurance coverage but is unable to provide such information, provided the Commissioner of Social Services determines, after providing prior notice of the disclosure to such custodial parent and an opportunity for such parent to object, that such disclosure is in the best interests of the child, (9) to any authorized representative of the Department of Correction, in IV-D support cases, as defined in subdivision (13) of subsection (b) of section 46b-231, information concerning noncustodial parents that is necessary to identify inmates or parolees with IV-D support cases who may benefit from Department of Correction educational, training, skill building, work or rehabilitation programming that will significantly increase an inmate’s or parolee’s ability to fulfill such inmate’s support obligation, (10) to any authorized representative of the Judicial Branch, in IV-D support cases, as defined in subdivision (13) of subsection (b) of section 46b-231, information concerning noncustodial parents that is necessary to: (A) Identify noncustodial parents with IV-D support cases who may benefit from educational, training, skill building, work or rehabilitation programming that will significantly increase such parent’s ability to fulfill such parent’s support obligation, (B) assist in the administration of the Title IV-D child support program, or (C) assist in the identification of cases involving family violence, (11) to any authorized representative of the State Treasurer, in IV-D support cases, as defined in subdivision (13) of subsection (b) of section 46b-231, information that is necessary to identify child support obligors who owe overdue child support prior to the Treasurer’s payment of such obligors’ claim for any property unclaimed or presumed abandoned under part III of chapter 32, or (12) to any authorized representative of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management any information necessary for the implementation and operation of the renters rebate program established by section 12-170d. No such representative shall disclose any information obtained pursuant to this section, except as specified in this section. Any applicant for assistance provided through said department shall be notified that, if and when such applicant receives benefits, the department will be providing law enforcement officials with the address of such applicant upon the request of any such official pursuant to section 17b-16a.

(c) In IV-D support cases, as defined in subdivision (13) of subsection (b) of section 46b-231, in addition to the prohibitions of subsection (b) of this section, no information shall be released concerning the whereabouts of one party to another party (1) against whom a protective order, a restraining order or a standing criminal protective order with respect to the former party is in effect, or (2) if the department has reason to believe that the release of the information may result in physical or emotional harm to the former party.

(d) The Commissioner of Social Services shall provide written notice to a person applying for or receiving assistance from the Department of Social Services or a person participating in a program administered by said department that such person’s address and telephone number may be provided to the Department of Children and Families pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section.

(e) Penalties prescribed by subsection (b) of section 17b-97 shall apply to violations of this section.

(1949 Rev., S. 2888, 2897, 2912; September, 1957, P.A. 11, S. 27, 28; March, 1958, P.A. 27, S. 73; 1969, P.A. 306; 1971, P.A. 642, S. 2; P.A. 73-25, S. 1, 4; P.A. 75-420, S. 4, 6; P.A. 77-614, S. 69, 587, 608, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 126, 136; P.A. 88-156, S. 13; P.A. 93-262, S. 35, 87; P.A. 96-263, S. 1, 2; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 37, 124, 165; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-7, S. 8, 38; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-8, S. 19, 88; P.A. 98-239, S. 19, 35; 98-250, S. 30, 39; P.A. 03-89, S. 1; P.A. 04-76, S. 9; P.A. 05-272, S. 3; P.A. 10-144, S. 9; P.A. 11-44, S. 121; 11-51, S. 134; 11-219, S. 11; P.A. 12-119, S. 8; P.A. 13-234, S. 45, 103; P.A. 14-39, S. 64; 14-186, S. 2; 14-217, S. 53.)

*Note: Section 122 of public act 97-2 of the June 18 special session is special in nature and therefore has not been codified but remains in full force and effect according to its terms.

History: 1969 act added proviso in Subsec. (b) re access to welfare case records by representative of finance and control commissioner; 1971 act rephrased proviso re access to records granted finance and control representative; P.A. 73-25 replaced reference to repealed Secs. 17-102 and 17-132 with reference to Sec. 17-83i(b) in Subsec. (c); P.A. 75-420 replaced welfare commissioner and department with commissioner and department of social services; P.A. 77-614 replaced commissioner and department of finance and control with commissioner and department of administrative services and, effective January 1, 1979, replaced commissioner and department of social services with commissioner and department of income maintenance; P.A. 78-303 included in disclosure provision commissioner and department of state police, replaced as of January 1, 1979, with commissioner and department of public safety; P.A. 88-156 replaced social services recipients with public assistance recipients in Subsec. (b); P.A. 93-262 replaced references to “this chapter” with references to programs of department of social services or persons participating in a program administered by said department and replaced references to department and commissioner of income maintenance with references to department and commissioner of social services, effective July 1, 1993; Sec. 17-83 transferred to Sec. 17b-90 in 1995; P.A. 96-263 added Subsec. (b)(2) re disclosure of the address and telephone number of a child receiving services from the Department of Social Services to the Commissioner of Children and Families and added Subsec. (d) re the provision of written notice to a person applying or receiving assistance from the Department of Social Services, effective June 10, 1996 (Revisor’s note: Subsec. (d) was editorially designated by the Revisors as Subsec. (c) and previously existing Subsec. (c) designated as (d) to retain penalty provisions’ placement at end of section); June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 amended Subsec. (a) to make technical and conforming changes and amended Subsec. (b) by mandating the Commissioner of Social Services to disclose to any authorized representative of the Labor Commissioner such information directly related to unemployment compensation, administered pursuant to chapter 567 or information necessary for the implementation of Secs. 17b-688b to 17b-688d, inclusive and Sec. 122 of June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, to disclose, to any authorized representative of the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services any information necessary for the implementation and operation of the basic needs supplement program, to disclose to any authorized representative of the Commissioner of Children and Families necessary information concerning the evaluation of the TANF program, expanding the mandate on the Commissioner of Children and Families from providing the address and telephone number to any necessary information of a child or the immediate family of a child receiving services from the Department of Social Services if the Commissioner of Children and Families has determined that imminent danger to such child’s health, safety or welfare exists, adding a provision mandating an applicant for the program be notified that, if and when such applicant receives benefits, the department shall provide law enforcement officials with the name and address of such applicant upon the request of such official pursuant to Sec. 17b-16a, effective July 1, 1997; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-7 inserted new Subsec. (c) re limitations on disclosure of information of whereabouts of one party to another party in IV-D support cases, relettering former Subsecs. (c) and (d) accordingly, effective July 1, 1997; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-8 made a technical change in Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (b)(3) re authorized representatives, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-239 amended Subsec. (b) to require the department to notify applicants for assistance under any department-administered program, rather than just the temporary family assistance program, that it will provide law enforcement officials with their addresses, eliminating reference to their names, effective June 8, 1998; P.A. 98-250 expanded Subsec. (b)(1) re management of and payment for behavioral health services for general assistance and divided Subdiv. (1) into Subdivs. (1), (2) and (3), deleted former Subdiv. (2)(A) re evaluation of temporary assistance for needy families programs, added safety net services, Commissioner of Social Services and targeting of family services programs in former Subdiv. (2) designating it as Subdiv. (4), added Subdiv. (5) re disclosure to town official or Labor Commissioner and designated former Subdiv. (3) as Subdiv. (6), effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 03-89 added Subsec. (b)(7) re permissible disclosures to health insurance providers in IV-D support cases and by making a technical change; P.A. 04-76 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting references to “general assistance”; P.A. 05-272 added Subsec. (b)(7) to authorize disclosures to authorized representatives of the Commissioner of Public Health for purposes of carrying out their responsibilities under programs regulating child day care services or youth camps, redesignating existing Subdiv. (7) as Subdiv. (8); P.A. 10-144 amended Subsec. (c)(1) to substitute “standing criminal protective order” for “standing criminal restraining order”; P.A. 11-44 amended Subsec. (b)(2) by replacing reference to behavioral health services for recipients of state-administered general assistance with reference to Medicaid program for low-income adults and amended Subsec. (b)(5) by deleting “financial or medical” re assistance, effective July 1, 2011; pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Commissioner of Public Safety” and “Department of Public Safety” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection” and “Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection”, respectively, in Subsec. (b)(3), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-219 amended Subsec. (b) to reference Sec. 46b-231(b)(13) in Subdiv. (8), and to add Subdivs. (9) to (11) re disclosure to authorized representative of Department of Correction, Judicial Branch and State Treasurer; P.A. 12-119 made a technical change in Subsec. (b)(5), effective June 15, 2012; P.A. 13-234 amended Subsec. (b) by adding Subdiv. (12) re disclosure of certain information to Commissioner of Housing, effective July 1, 2013, and amended Subsec. (b)(2) to delete reference to Medicaid program for low-income adults, effective January 1, 2014; P.A. 14-39 amended Subsec. (b)(7) by replacing “Commissioner of Public Health” with “Commissioner of Early Childhood”, effective July 1, 2014; P.A. 14-186 amended Subsec. (b)(4) by designating existing provision re imminent danger to a child as Subpara. (A) and adding Subpara. (B) re disclosure to Commissioner of Children and Families if commissioner requires access to federal Parent Locator Service; P.A. 14-217 amended Subsec. (b)(12) by replacing provision re disclosure to Commissioner of Housing for purpose of verifying whether applicant for renters rebate program is a cash assistance recipient with provision re disclosure to Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management for implementation and operation of renters rebate program, effective June 13, 2014, and applicable to applications made on or after April 1, 2014.

Annotations to former section 17-83:

Cited. 165 C. 490; 170 C. 258. Protection of confidentiality discussed. 192 C. 310. Cited. 221 C. 393.

Cited. 32 CS 598.