A coalition of 12 governors, including Governors John Carney (DE), Jay Inslee (WA), Kate Brown (OR), Gavin Newsom (CA), Phil Murphy (NJ), Gretchen Whitmer (MI), Tony Evers (WI), Tim Walz (MN), Ralph Northam (VA), Steve Sisolak (NV), Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM), and J. B. Pritzker (IL) released a joint statement today on recent threats to the democratic process and reports of efforts to circumvent the election results.

“We do not take for granted the sacred right of every American to cast a vote, and to have that vote counted, in the presidential election held every four years. It is a right that is foundational to our democracy and essential to the continuation of our constitutional system of government — something to be cherished, revered and defended by elected leaders at all levels.

“Any efforts to throw out ballots or refuse a peaceful transfer of power are nothing less than an assault on American democracy. There is absolutely no excuse for promoting the intimidation or harassment of voters. These are all blatant attempts to deny our constituents the right to have their voices heard, as guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution, and to know the will of the people will be carried out.

“As governors, it is our solemn duty to protect the people of our states. Today, we affirm that all votes cast in the upcoming election will be counted and that democracy will be delivered in this election. That means all valid ballots cast in accordance with state and local laws must be counted, and that all states must properly appoint electors in accordance with the vote. We will not allow anyone to willfully corrupt the democratic process by delegitimizing the outcome or appointing fraudulent electors against the will of the voters.

“Our nation has held presidential elections and upheld the results throughout our history, even in times of great peril. We did it during the Civil War and both World Wars, and we can do it during a pandemic.

“And if the outcome of this election means the end of a presidency, he must leave office — period.

“We recognize that democratically held elections are not an exercise in controlling power. By its very nature, democracy is an exercise in determining and honoring out the collective will of the American people, regardless of the outcome. Disenfranchising voters in order to retain power strikes at the very heart of this promise. We call on elected leaders at all levels, from both parties, to speak out loudly against such efforts in the weeks ahead.”

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Learn more about the Pandemic Resurgence Advisory Committee and their recommendations: de.gov/prac

Eligible Households Will Be Reimbursed Through September for Cost of Meals That Would Have Been Available in Schools

NEW CASTLE (Sept. 30, 2020) – The Division of Social Services received federal approval Sept. 25 to extend benefits under the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program to cover the months of August and September. P-EBT was authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to provide assistance to families with children who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.

The P-EBT program provides a supplemental food-purchasing benefit to current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households and a new EBT benefit to eligible non-SNAP households to offset the cost of meals that would have otherwise been available at school.

P-EBT benefits will be issued to all eligible households on Sept. 30.

The approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture extends the benefits initially approved and issued starting in spring 2020 in response to Delaware’s state of emergency ordered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the current state of emergency declaration, Delaware’s schools are open, but most are operating under remote learning for the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year.

The recent approval allows Delaware to extend the benefits through September to households with school-aged children who are participating in remote learning for five consecutive days and do not have access to free meals at their schools.

Households with children participating in remote learning must also meet one of the following conditions to receive P-EBT:

• The household includes children who are certified to receive free or reduced-price school meals for the 2020-2021 school year, or;
• The household includes children who attend schools that offer free school meals to all students (Community Eligibility or Provision 2 schools) for the 2020-2021 school year.

For the 2020-2021 school year, approximately 81,000 children attending Delaware schools are eligible to receive P-EBT benefits. The P-EBT benefits will be issued as a supplement to SNAP households on their existing EBT cards and to non-SNAP households on their existing P-EBT cards from the 2019-2020 school year. Non-SNAP households who became eligible for P-EBT for the 2020-2021 school year will automatically receive a new P-EBT card in the mail for all eligible children in their household along with details on how to use the card.

Delaware will follow the P-EBT benefit guidance provided by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. The P-EBT benefit amount equals the federal reimbursement rate for breakfast and lunch of $5.86 per child per eligible school day. P-EBT benefit amounts will vary based on school start dates and remote learning schedules. P-EBT benefits can only be issued to children who attend schools that are participating in the P-EBT program.

P-EBT Issuance Details

Each eligible child in a household will receive $5.86 in P-EBT benefits for each eligible school day in August and September that their child’s school was operating under remote learning.
P-EBT benefits will be issued to all eligible households on Sept. 30, 2020. Households with an EBT or P-EBT card will automatically receive their benefits on their card for all of the eligible children in their household. It may take up to two weeks for newly eligible households to receive their P-EBT cards in the mail.

“The P-EBT program helps to keep Delaware families healthy and their children fed during this national emergency,” said Department of Health and Social Services Secretary Molly Magarik. “This additional support is critically important as families continue to cope with the health and education challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Eligible households will receive written notification in the mail regarding P-EBT benefits for August and September.

Please contact the Division of Social Services at 1-866-843-7212 if you have questions about Delaware’s P-EBT Program.

Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced Wednesday that Delaware has joined a total $39.5 million settlement with Anthem stemming from the massive 2014 data breach that involved the personal information of 78.8 million Americans. Through the settlement, Anthem has reached a resolution with the 43-state multistate coalition and California. The DOJ’s Consumer Protection Unit helped secure the settlement.

In February 2015, Anthem disclosed that cyber attackers had infiltrated its systems beginning in February 2014, using malware installed through a phishing email. The attackers were ultimately able to gain access to Anthem’s data warehouse, where they harvested names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, healthcare identification numbers, home addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and employment information for 78.8 million Americans. In Delaware, approximately 62,000 residents were affected by the breach.

“Companies, like Anthem, that collect and maintain personal information have a duty to maintain its security and privacy,” said Attorney General Jennings. “Anthem breached that trust and today my office, together with other attorneys general, is holding it accountable.”

Under the settlement, Anthem has agreed to a series of provisions designed to strengthen its security practices going forward. Those include:

• A prohibition against misrepresentations regarding the extent to which Anthem protects the privacy and security of personal information;
• Implementation of a comprehensive information security program, incorporating principles of zero trust architecture, and including regular security reporting to the Board of Directors and prompt notice of significant security events to the CEO;
• Specific security requirements with respect to segmentation, logging and monitoring, anti-virus maintenance, access controls and two factor authentication, encryption, risk assessments, penetration testing, and employee training, among other requirements; and
• Third-party security assessments and audits for three (3) years, as well as a requirement that Anthem make its risk assessments available to a third-party assessor during that term.

In the immediate wake of the breach, at the request of the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General, Anthem offered an initial two years of credit monitoring to all affected U.S. individuals.

Delaware will receive $162,707.05 from the settlement which will go to the state’s Consumer Protection Fund. In addition to the payment, Anthem has also agreed to a series of data security and good governance provisions designed to strengthen its practices going forward.

In addition to this settlement, Anthem previously entered into a class action settlement that established a $115 million settlement fund to pay for additional credit monitoring, cash payments of up to $50, and reimbursement for out-of-pocket losses for affected consumers. The deadlines for consumers to submit claims under that settlement have since passed.

DOVER, DE – All Delaware prescribers and pharmacists can now integrate their electronic health record and pharmacy management systems with the state’s prescription monitoring program (PMP), the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation has announced.

The integration will be via Appriss Health’s PMP Gateway solution.

Appriss Health has delivered PMP services for the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation since 2017. The system manages more than 16 million controlled substance prescriptions and currently has more than 7,800 users.

The Delaware Division of Professional Regulation is covering all fees associated with the integration service to ensure broad adoption and help providers meet state mandates and policies regarding the prescribing of controlled substances.

“Delaware currently has the second highest drug overdose death rate in the United States, and the ongoing opioid crisis has created a colossal challenge for the state’s behavioral health treatment providers,” Delaware Prescription Monitoring Program Administrator Jason Slavoski said. “This statewide partnership with Appriss Health improves our PMP’s efficacy to help mitigate the opioid epidemic in our communities.

Through PMP Gateway, all providers throughout the state will have easier access to new resources and PMP information within their clinical workflow. This integration helps to enhance timely clinical support decisions and improve patient care and safety for all Delaware residents.

The statewide integration of PMP data into electronic health records (EHR) at the point of care increases the ease of access and use of prescription information to help healthcare providers make critical clinical decisions, including the prescribing and dispensing of controlled substances, as well as patient care and safety.

Prior to this integration initiative, Delaware prescribers had to log in to separate systems to query patient information, which took important time away from patient care. Now, the EHR will automatically initiate a patient query, which will return the patient’s controlled substance prescription records directly within the clinical workflow inside the EHR.

“Wide adoption of prescription monitoring information into clinical workflow can effectively identify, prevent, and manage potential problems with prescription drug addiction,” said Appriss Health President Rob Cohen. “We’re honored to partner with the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation to provide healthcare providers with enhanced tools for early intervention of substance use disorder and improved outcomes.”

Media Contact:
Michael Chesney
Delaware Department of State
302-577-8472
michael.chesney@delaware.gov