ME LD612

Beginning January 1, 2026, the Department of Health and Human Services must enter a data-matching agreement with the Department of Administrative and Financial Services to identify Medicaid and SNAP recipients who win lottery prizes of $3,000 or more.

Lottery winnings for current or recent (within 12 months) Medicaid or SNAP recipients will have deductions taken to reimburse the state for the previous 5 years of benefits received, including per capita administrative costs and provider payments.

Exemptions apply to individuals medically certified as physically or mentally unfit for employment, and parents or caretakers providing care for dependent children with serious medical conditions or disabilities.

The department must monitor EBT card transactions and flag recipients making exclusively out-of-state transactions over 90 days, then contact them within 30 days to verify Maine residency.

Benefits will be terminated for recipients who no longer reside in Maine or fail to respond within 30 days, with information reported to the USDA within 15 days of termination.