(a) (1) For the purpose of verifying financial eligibility pursuant to Section 120960 and the federal Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 201 et seq.), the department shall verify the accuracy of the adjusted gross income reported on an AIDS Drug Assistance Program application submitted by an applicant or recipient with data, if available, from the Franchise Tax Board.

(2) Notwithstanding any other law, the department shall disclose the name and individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) or social security number of an applicant for, or recipient of, services under this chapter to the Franchise Tax Board for the purpose of verifying the adjusted gross income of, any tax-exempt interest received by, any tax-exempt social security benefits received by, and any foreign earned income of an applicant or recipient pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 120960.

(b) (1) The Franchise Tax Board, upon receipt of this information, shall inform the department of all of the following:

(A) The amount of the federal adjusted gross income as reported by the taxpayer to the Franchise Tax Board.

(B) The amount of the California adjusted gross income as reported by the taxpayer to the Franchise Tax Board or as adjusted by the Franchise Tax Board.

(C) The amount of any tax-exempt interest received by the taxpayer, as reported to the Franchise Tax Board.

(D) The amount of any tax-exempt social security benefits received by the taxpayer, as reported to the Franchise Tax Board.

(E) The amount of any foreign earned income of the taxpayer, as reported to the Franchise Tax Board.

(2) The Franchise Tax Board shall provide the information to the department for the most recent taxable year that the Franchise Tax Board has information available, and shall include the first and last name, date of birth, and the ITIN or social security number of the taxpayer.

(c) (1) Information provided by the department pursuant to this section shall constitute confidential public health records as defined in Section 121035, and shall remain subject to the confidentiality protections and restrictions on further disclosure by the recipient under subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 121025.

(2) To the extent possible, verification of financial eligibility shall be done in a way to eliminate or minimize, by use of computer programs or other electronic means, Franchise Tax Board staff and contractors’ access to confidential public health records.

(3) Prior to accessing confidential HIV-related public health records, Franchise Tax Board staff and contractors shall be required to annually sign a confidentiality agreement developed by the department that includes information related to the penalties under Section 121025 for a breach of confidentiality and the procedures for reporting a breach of confidentiality under subdivision (h) of Section 121022. Those agreements shall be reviewed annually by the department.

(4) The Franchise Tax Board shall return or destroy all information received from the department after completing the exchange of information.

(d) For purposes of this section, “foreign earned income” also includes any deduction taken for the housing expenses of an individual while living abroad pursuant to Section 911 of Title 26 of the Internal Revenue Code.

(Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 18, Sec. 16. (SB 75) Effective June 24, 2015.)