applicable year
(19) Disclosure of return information for purposes of providing transitional assistance under medicare discount card program (A) In general The Secretary, upon written request from the Secretary of Health and Human Services pursuant to carrying out section 1860D–31 of the Social Security Act, shall disclose to officers, employees, and contractors of the Department of Health and Human Services with respect to a taxpayer for the applicable year— (i) (I) whether the adjusted gross income, as modified in accordance with specifications of the Secretary of Health and Human Services for purposes of carrying out such section, of such taxpayer and, if applicable, such taxpayer’s spouse, for the applicable year, exceeds the amounts specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services in order to apply the 100 and 135 percent of the poverty lines under such section, (II) whether the return was a joint return, and (III) the applicable year, or (ii) if applicable, the fact that there is no return filed for such taxpayer for the applicable year. (B) Definition of applicable year For the purposes of this subsection, the term “applicable year” means the most recent taxable year for which information is available in the Internal Revenue Service’s taxpayer data information systems, or, if there is no return filed for such taxpayer for such year, the prior taxable year. (C) Restriction on use of disclosed information Return information disclosed under this paragraph may be used only for the purposes of determining eligibility for and administering transitional assistance under section 1860D–31 of the Social Security Act.