§346-44  Recovery of public assistance
overpayments.  All overpayments of public assistance funds, including but
not limited to overissuances of financial assistance, food stamp bonuses under
a food stamp plan, medicaid assistance, and incorrect vendor payments in behalf
of a recipient, shall constitute a debt due and owing to the department by the
recipient of such overpayments.  In addition to the remedies elsewhere
prescribed in this chapter for the recovery of assistance fraudulently
obtained, recovery of all overpayments will be made to the extent allowable by
federal regulations.



The department shall promulgate and enforce
such rules and regulations as may be necessary to effect the maximum recovery
of public assistance overpayments, including but not limited to the reduction
of future public assistance grants.  Departmental rules and regulations for the
recovery of overpayments shall prescribe procedures for recourse to the civil
courts when required, the filing of liens against the real property of overpaid
recipients, and the filing of claims against the estate of a deceased recipient
who has received overpayments which have not been recovered.  Nothing in this
section shall preclude the director of human services from promulgating
procedures for waiving the recovery of overpayments in cases of bona fide
hardship or where the costs of recovery would exceed the amount expected to be
recovered. [L 1979, c 63, §1; am L 1987, c 339, §4]