Missouri Department of Social Services

The death of Korbin Papadopoulos, a 17-year-old with type 1 diabetes and autism who was placed 300 miles away from home, sharpened questions about who is responsible when the state cannot find a safe foster placement.

Workers were searching for a home equipped for 17-year-old Korbin Papadopoulos' medical needs. Instead, he was sent to a foster home whose caregiver said he wasn't trained or licensed to manage diabetes.

Caseloads have surged in parts of Missouri, and workers say new requirements for consultation, checklists and supervisory review are making cases harder and slower to resolve.

New work requirements and twice-yearly eligibility checks are expected to cause millions of adults to lose Medicaid coverage. But community religious leaders and health advocates have been meeting every other week to plan and strategize about how to mitigate the damage.

Children’s Division Director Sara Smith wants to have investigators take on more specialized responsibilities at the agency.

A federal judge blocked five states from banning the use of SNAP benefits for junk food purchases. Missouri has a similar plan, but it was not included in the decision.

More than 300,000 Missouri residents lost Medicaid coverage within the course of the year, and 92% were because of "procedural" terminations due to missing forms, incomplete information or other issues. A new rule proposed by the federal government could add even more paperwork.

The change comes via an executive order from Gov. Mike Kehoe directing the state to discourage the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to buy "foods that are high in sugar and ultra-processed" and incentivize healthy eating.

The Trump administration’s drive to slash safety-net spending is hitting SNAP. As the cost of gasoline spikes, rent and utilities climb and food remains expensive, more than 3.5 million Americans have lost food benefits.

The effort comes after the federal government criticized suspected levels of Medicaid fraud in Democratic-led states.

The Missouri Department of Social Services applied last year for federal permission to prohibit purchases of candy, prepared desserts and sugary drinks with SNAP and SuN Bucks. But supermarkets aren't yet clear what qualifies.

Missouri lawmakers have repeatedly introduced bills to try to significantly reduce the number of hospital boarding days each year and eventually end the practice altogether.