social services

State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick says a review of the Children’s Division, which has struggled for years to recruit and retain staff, may not happen right away because of staff constraints in his own office. Meanwhile, Missouri has a backlog of more than 10,000 open child abuse and neglect cases.

As some states wrap up this year’s summer food aid program, Missouri is still distributing last year’s benefits for children. The state also declined tens of millions in federal aid for low-income kids in part because officials lacked confidence they could disperse those benefits by the deadline.

As Missouri and all states begin reassessing the eligibility of every Medicaid participant on their rolls, one major concern is that many are losing coverage due to paperwork issues rather than a lack of eligibility. Of those who lost coverage in June and July, three-quarters were for "procedural reasons."

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that callers to Missouri's social services helpline waited an average of 48 minutes before reaching someone, and 44% of callers hung up before being helped.

Over 1 million Missourians on Medicaid will have their eligibility checked between now and next May. Many have never undergone the process before, and hundreds of thousands are project to lose coverage — mostly because of paperwork problems.

June was the first month of eligibility reviews for Missouri's roughly 1.5 million Medicaid enrollees. Children accounted for half of all the state's Medicaid terminations, mostly for procedural reasons.

Kansas City voters in April approved a 3% tax on recreational marijuana revenue — 1% of which will go toward finding solutions for the unhoused population. The city's homelessness prevention coordinator says that funding will go toward street outreach and other initiatives.

In April, Kansas City voters approved a 3% tax on recreational marijuana revenue —1% of which will go towards finding solutions for houseless population. The city's homelessness prevention coordinator shared ideas of how the funding might be used.

Transition benefits gradually reduce the amount of benefits someone gets from things like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as their income rises. The measure is seen as a way to incentivize people to earn more money working, without falling off the so-called benefit cliff.

Applicants to the state child care subsidy program often face long call center wait times and onerous paperwork requirements — and child care providers who accept the subsidy face administrative hurdles of their own.

Clients from First Call, an alcohol and drug prevention and recovery organization, sat down with actors from the Unicorn Theatre to help the cast of "Clyde's" gain insight into the experiences of individuals trying to rebuild their life after getting out of prison.

Missouri's state treasury has a large surplus after 28 months of double-digit revenue growth and federal payments tied to COVID-19 relief and recovery. The extra money should help smooth any economic downturn while also allowing for new spending initiatives.