    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
    [April 25, 1998]
    [Page 619]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 619]]

    Memorandum on Action To Prevent Prison Inmates From Inappropriately
    Receiving Federal Benefits
    April 25, 1998

    Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

    Subject: Use of the Social Security Administration's Prisoner Database
    to Prevent Prison Inmates from Inappropriately Receiving Federal
    Benefits

        The Social Security Administration (``SSA'') is required by law to
    suspend Old Age and Survivors and Disability Insurance or Supplemental
    Security Income benefits to certain persons who are incarcerated. To
    carry out the law, the SSA, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of
    Prisons and various State and local entities, developed a database of
    persons who are incarcerated. Other agencies, too, including the
    Departments of Agriculture, Education, Labor, and Veterans Affairs,
    operate Federal benefit programs that have statutory requirements to
    reduce, suspend, or terminate benefits to those who are incarcerated.
        All of these agencies have been carrying out the requirements to
    suspend or reduce Federal benefits to prison inmates. However, the
    agencies' enforcement of these requirements independently, rather than
    in coordination, is not the most efficient use of Government resources
    and has not allowed the agencies to enforce these requirements to the
    greatest effect. Therefore, to provide for a coordinated governmentwide
    effort to improve the implementation of the laws permitting suspension
    or reduction of Federal benefits to prison inmates and to use Government
    resources more efficiently, I hereby direct executive departments and
    agencies to take the following actions, to the extent permitted by law:
        (1) By November 1, 1998, the Social Security Administration shall
    provide access to its prisoner database, on a reimbursable basis, to
    Federal agencies that administer benefit programs and to appropriate
    State and local entities that administer benefit programs in cooperation
    with Federal agencies. The SSA shall assist these agencies as necessary
    to allow quick and efficient access to the SSA prisoner database. By May
    1, 1999, the agencies should make operational their computer systems
    that are to conduct the matches between their benefit program databases
    and the SSA prisoner database;
        (2) The Departments of Education, Labor, and Veterans Affairs and
    Food Stamp agencies acting as agents for the Department of Agriculture,
    shall conduct matches between their benefit program databases and SSA's
    prisoner database to identify ineligible recipients of benefits on their
    benefit rosters. Agencies that have begun to conduct matches of their
    benefit program databases with SSA's prisoner database or other
    agencies' databases shall continue that work;
        (3) Other executive agencies with benefit programs shall review such
    programs and determine whether it is appropriate and cost effective to
    conduct a match of their benefit program databases with the SSA prisoner
    database;
        (4) Based on their matches with the SSA prisoner database, agencies
    that identify ineligible recipients shall immediately take action to
    suspend, reduce, or terminate benefits as permitted by law; and
        (5) The agencies shall work with the Commissioner of Social Security
    and State and local governments, where appropriate, and take whatever
    actions are practicable to carry out this memorandum. The Commissioner
    of Social Security shall report to me within 180 days on the actions the
    SSA and other agencies have taken to implement this memorandum.
        I believe that this coordinated governmentwide approach to
    terminating, suspending, or reducing Federal benefits to prison inmates
    will more fully carry out the intention of the Federal laws restricting
    payment of benefits to prison inmates and will provide savings in
    Federal benefit programs.

                                                          William J. Clinton