§346-4.5  Investigators; authority andaccess to records.  (a)  The director shall appoint and commission one ormore investigators as the exigencies of the public service may require. Persons appointed and commissioned under this section shall have and mayexercise all the powers and authority of a police officer or of a deputysheriff, provided that the persons so appointed and commissioned shall notcarry any firearms.

(b)  Information necessary to investigate fraudand other crimes relating to public assistance, to locate absent parents, toestablish paternity, to obtain and enforce court orders of support, and toinvestigate incidents at the Hawaii youth correctional facilities, andcontained within the records of any agency, board, commission, authority, orcommittee of the State or its political subdivisions shall be made available toany commissioned investigator of the department of human services,notwithstanding any provision for confidentiality. [L 1976, c 83, §1; am L1979, c 176, §1; am L 1987, c 339, §4; am L 1989, c 211, §10; am L 1990, c 281,§11; am L 2009, c 62, §2]

 

Cross References

 

  Medicaid fraud unit, see §28-91.

 

Case Notes

 

  State has compelling interest in ensuring that medicaidprogram is not being defrauded.  481 F. Supp. 1028.