(a) The department, through its duly authorized agents, shall have the authority to investigate or otherwise determine the income and assets of the patient or his estate and when necessary the income and assets of all other persons liable for the cost of care of such patient in order to determine ability to pay cost of care. All persons liable for cost of care must provide signed consent forms necessary to authorize and conduct an investigation to determine the income and assets of such persons in order to determine ability to pay cost of care. The department shall further have the authority to contract with any person, firm, or corporation which it finds necessary to provide the information appropriate to the carrying out of its duties under this chapter.

(b) The department shall require declarations to be filed by the patient or other persons liable for cost of care necessary to determine the assessments required by this chapter and shall prescribe the form and content thereof. All such declarations are to be regarded as essential to carrying out the public policy of this state; and any person who knowingly falsifies such declarations shall be charged as for false swearing. Failure by the patient or other persons liable for cost of care to (1) provide information required by such declarations or (2) provide signature of consent for the department to conduct an investigation authorized by subsection (a) of this Code section shall create a rebuttable presumption that the patient or other persons liable for cost of care consent to and agree with the assessment of the full cost of care, and the declaration shall contain on its face, conspicuously and in clear language, a statement to that effect.

(c) The department, through its duly authorized agents, shall have access to Georgia income tax records for the purpose of obtaining necessary information to enforce this chapter. Upon the request of the department or its duly authorized agents, the state revenue commissioner and his agents or employees shall disclose such income tax information contained in any report or return required under Georgia law as may be necessary to enforce the provisions of this chapter. Any tax information secured from the federal government by the Department of Revenue pursuant to express provisions of Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code may not be disclosed by the Department of Revenue pursuant to this subsection. Any person receiving any tax information or tax returns under the authority of this subsection shall be considered either an officer or employee as those terms are used in subsection (a) of Code Section 48-7-60; and as such an officer or employee, any person receiving any tax information or returns under the authority of this subsection shall be subject to Code Section 48-7-61.

(d) Any evidence, records, or other information obtained by the department or its duly authorized agents pursuant to the authority of this Code section shall be confidential and shall be used by the department or its agents only for the purposes of enforcing this chapter and shall not be released for any purpose other than a hearing provided for by this chapter.

(e) The department shall develop procedures to ensure that persons with no other documentation or evidence may sign an affidavit attesting to their indigent financial status.