Department of Social Services Archives

House Republicans, Gov. Nixon clash on use of Social Services money for National Governors Association dues (VIDEO)

May 14, 2014 By Mike Lear

State House Republicans are criticizing Governor Jay Nixon (D) for the use of more than $390,000 in the past three fiscal years’ budgets for the Department of Social Services to pay dues to the National Governors Association. More than $206,000 of that has come from the Children’s Division within the Department of Social Services to pay dues to the National Governors Association.

The office of Representative Sue Allen (R-Town and Country) has offered documents it says show how that membership was paid for. They show money was taken from the appropriations to several agencies, but in fiscal years 2012, 2013 and in the current budget, the greatest amount came from the Children’s Division. About $69,000 was taken from the Division’s budget in each of those years. $32,000 was taken from Missouri Healthnet administration in fiscal years 2012 and 2014 and about $29,000 was taken from Missouri Healthnet administration in fiscal year 2013 and $28,000 from Family Support administration.

The National Governors Association is a bipartisan organization of the nation’s state governors. Through it those governors discuss policy and priorities and share best practices, and the association advocates on federal issues impacting states.

Allen, House Speaker Tim Jones (R-Eureka) and House Budget Committee Chairman Rick Stream (R-Kirkwood) say Nixon’s actions violate the title clause of that budget bill, that says, “no funds from these sections shall be expended for the purpose of costs associated with the offices of the Governor,” or the other elected officials of the state.

“The Governor and his staff know that we appropriated the money for a specific purpose; for children, for Children’s Services,” says Stream, “and they deliberately spent it somewhere else. To me that’s just deceptive.”

Stream adds, “[Nixon] basically misspent the money, and we’re hoping that he will not continue to do it.”

Jones says it’s an issue of transparency.

“There’s nothing wrong with the National Governor’s Association,” says Jones, “but if [Nixon] wants to spend money on that it should come from a delineated line item in his budget.”

Representative Sue Allen (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

Allen took the issue up Wednesday at a hearing by the Appropriations Committee on Health, Mental Health, and Social Services, which she chairs. Department of Social Services Director Brian Kinkade told the committee the National Governors Association deals with federal issues, including those related to his department’s functions.

“One that has been worked on recently is the Prison Rape Elimination Act,” says Kinkade. “NGA’s been involved in advocacy with the states on that issue.” Kinkade says that act is related to the work of the Division of Youth Services.

Kinkade says the proposal to take the Governors Association dues came from the Office of Administration’s Division of Budget & Planning.

Troubles for Children’s Division answered with money this year

Nixon proposed and legislature appropriated an additional $5.1 million Children’s Division to create two new positions on its career ladder for child abuse investigators and other changes, meant to improve the Division’s response to child abuse investigations. That proposal is part of the Fiscal Year 2015 budget proposal that is awaiting action by Nixon.

Deparrtment of Social Services Director Brian Kinkade (right) and Department of Mental Health Director Keith Schafer

Department of Social Services Director Brian Kinkade (right) and Department of Mental Health Director Keith Schafer testify to the House Appropriations Committee on Health, Mental Health and Social Services.

Republicans have pointed to that appropriation and asked whether there would then have been a better agency to have taken money from to page the Governors Association dues.

“Federal funds are as important for the Children’s Division as any in our Department, so in looking at how to allocate that across our Department that’s not an unfair allocation,” says Kinkade.

Kinkade adds, “I need to be very clear though: this in no way jeopardized direct services or field service for our child welfare program.”

Allen says that still is not the appropriate place to draw those funds from.

“They still used funds from a very, very, I’ll say ‘weak’ program; Children’s Division, because over the past few years we’ve had children die,” says Allen.

Kinkade says the money came from the Department’s central administration and would have gone unused if not used to pay for the Governors Association membership.

Allen isn’t satisfied with that answer.

“If these people were incapable of recognizing ways to go beyond and further support these children,” with that money, Allen says, “that’s a problem.”

House Republicans say they also want to know if other money being appropriated in the budget is being used for purposes they aren’t aware of or don’t intend.

“We’ll certainly take a look. A much closer look,” says Stream.

In a statement, Nixon says the same funding source has been used in past years and calls the issues the House Republicans raise a “diversionary stunt,” that will “fall flat with Missourians wondering why their elected representatives refuse to reform our ethics laws, rein in wasteful tax credit expenditures or provide health coverage to 300,000 working Missourians through Medicaid expansion.”

The documents provided by Allen’s office and communication with a then-staffer for former Governor Matt Blunt (R) suggest that the dues for the Governors Association were not taken from the Social Services budget by administrations prior to Nixon’s.

Nixon adds, “I urge these legislators to set aside these desperate distractions and use the time they have left in the session to work on making a real difference for the Missourians we serve.”

Social Services welfare recipient shift scaled back (VIDEO)

April 25, 2013 By Mike Lear

A contract between the Department of Social Services that came under fire from House Republicans has been restructured.

Representatives Sue Allen (left) and Jay Barnes (right) join House Speaker Tim Jones (center) and other House Republicans in announcing changes in a DSS contract the caucus had concerns with. (Photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

The contract with Boston-based Public Consulting Group outlined how it would look for people receiving state assistance that could be shifted to federal disability payments. Republicans said the original arrangement would have reached out to too many people, including children and those who could still work, and said it would have moved people off of welfare that requires recipients to actively look for jobs to a program where having a job could result in lowered benefits.

Representative Jay Barnes (R-Jefferson City) said documentation of the company’s proposed procedures raised concerns it would use aggressive tactics to get people to switch programs. He’s pleased with the new contract.

“For kids, who should not be in this process, they are no longer part of this contract, PCG will not be making cold calls to individuals, PCG will not be making any threats to those people already categorized as ‘disabled’ if they refuse to cooperate with this and PCG has agreed that they will have all phone calls recorded so that we can spot check what they’re doing.”

The new contract will limit the scope of the company’s search to people with disabilities and serious medical conditions.

The original contract would have also sought to move people whose transfer might have had to go to an appeals process because it would have been less clear the shift would be appropriate.

PCG will make $2,300 for every person moved off of Medicaid.

House Speaker Tim Jones (R-Eureka) commended Governor Jay Nixon and the Department for making these changes.

The situation came to light on a national radio program before PCG’s work began. Jones says it raises a question of whether such contracts need to be subject to legislative review earlier.

“There obviously needs to be some more oversight on these large-scale contracts that do affect thousands, if not millions, of Missourians.”

On the subject of oversight, Representative Sue Allen (R-Town and Country) says she told the Department’s representatives in a recent hearing of her Appropriations Committee she was surprised they didn’t bring the issue up.

“I do expect them to bring these issues to the committee and I had some anxt about that. That is an ongoing issue of trust … but they heard a very strong message and I think we got the good solution.”

See the House Republicans’ media conference below:

House budget subcommittee shuns Medicaid expansion, finds mental health money

February 26, 2013 By Mike Lear

A House budget subcommittee has rejected including federal money for Medicaid expansion in the budgets for the Departments of Mental Health, Social Services and Health and Senior Services.

Representative Sue Allen (R-Town and Country)

Representative Judy Morgan (D-Kansas City) proposed a return to Governor Jay Nixon’s plan to use $1 billion in federal dollars for those departments, freeing up general revenue to use in other areas. Her amendments were defeated in 9-5 partisan votes.

Nixon says if Missouri accepts Medicaid expansion the federal government will pay for it for the first three years, then Missouri will begin picking up a portion of the cost that would eventually grow to ten percent. Democrats say Medicaid expansion will save the state money, extend healthcare to an additional 300,000 Missourians, create jobs and keep rural hospitals from closing.

Chairwoman Sue Allen (R-Town and Country) says Missouri can not afford to accept that plan.

“There will be a time the feds will back off. Missouri is in as good a shape as we are financially because of hard decisions that were made in 2005 to reign in cost, and we have a natural growth of Medicaid which we struggle with every year anyway within the current eligibility.”

The state legislature approved and then-Governor Matt Blunt signed a cut back in Medicaid in 2005. At that time, 100,000 people lost eligibility.

Allen says Medicaid reform would be the more responsible route.

“I would say, first of all, we improve and we correct where you could have greater benefits. You get that taken care of and you move forward, and you do it one step at a time but you don’t jump in a swimming pool without any water in it.”

The plan approved by the committee does shift about $25 million to the Department of Mental Health. Allen says that money came from places in the Fiscal Year 2013 budget where Governor Nixon had withheld money, or where money that was appropriated was not spent.

She says in finding that $25 million, “I don’t know if any services that were cut.”

Allen says she hopes more money can be found for mental health when her committee’s proposal reaches the full budget committee.

Budget working group to take a closer look at health, social services budgets

February 23, 2012 By Mike Lear

Seven members of the House Budget Committee are going to take a closer look at areas where the budgets for the Departments of Mental Health, Health and Senior Services and Social Services might be reduced.

Representative Tom Flanigan presents part of his Appropriations Committee's budget to the full Budget Committee.

The Appropriations Committee covering those agencies recommended that New Decision Items within those budgets receive 75% funding. Chairman Tom Flanigan (R-Carthage) explained to the Budget Committee Wednesday that his intent was to force a supplemental budget in January when better information is available related to those items, and what funding is still necessary at that time can be provided. Flanigan noted that his committee does not have authority to make cuts.

The Budget Committee has now created a working group that will look at new decision items in the budget bills for those agencies for any places where similar withholds could be made. Representative Jeff Grisamore (R-Lee’s Summit) said the process would help conserve as much money as possible for the “most vulnerable people.”

See what’s in those budget bills, HB 2010 and HB 2011.

The members of the working group are Republicans Rick Stream of Kirkwood, Sue Allen of Town and Country, Grisamore and Flanigan and Democrats Chris Kelly of Columbia, Gail McCann Beatty of Kansas City and Jeanne Kirkton of Webster Groves.

Kelly says Flanigan’s withholding method is an innovative, interesting idea and he’s anxious to look into it more. “Is it reasonable to hold some money back and put it in the supplemental bill to make sure the money’s being spent correctly and targeted correctly?”

Kirkton says she is concerned for the agencies that might have to deal with those 25% withholds. “If I were a department manager I would be very nervous about it. You hope the supplemental money will be there but there’s always the ‘what if’s’. What if we had another catastrophe, what if that money’s not there, what if revenues don’t come in? We always have to worry.”

Kirkton says supplemental budget bills are expected to come out early next week, so the working group will have to work fast.

Kids Count report: child abuse down, high school dropouts up

May 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

The annual KidsCount report is out. It provides county-by-county data on the health and wellbeing of Missouri’schildren.

While child abuseand neglect cases in Missouriare down from last year, high school dropout rates are higher.

The Kids Countreport compares information and statistical trends on the conditions of ourstate’s children and families in all 114 counties and the City of Saint Louis.

St. Charles County,just outside of St. Louis,did the best this year. Not the case just a few miles away. St. Louis City scored lowest "across the board," says Scott Gee, director of Citizens for Missouri’sChildren. He says the areas that ranked the lowest are also the state’spoorest.

However, St. Louis did improve its numbers in all categories — save high school dropout rates — over last year.

The report breaksdown the rates for infant mortality, low birth weight, teen pregnancy, students on free or reduced lunches, babies born to mothers without a high school diploma, child deaths, children removed from homes, and violent deaths to teens.

The study also provides a breakout for various economic factors, demographics, family support systems, health and mental health.

For example, St. Louis had 1,226 high school dropouts, or 11.6 percent. St. Charles County had 449 dropouts, or 2.8 percent.

The report states that every day in Missouri:
18 babies are born with a low birth weight
41 children are born to mothers who lack high school diplomas
2 babies die before their ?rst birthday
15 children are removed from their homes
127 children receive attention from the Mo. Department of Social Services
due to reports of child abuse and neglect
1 child or teen dies
29 teens drop out of school
25 teens between the ages of 15 and 19 give birth
212,369 children live in poverty

Gee says the reportserves local and state policymakers, as well as not-for-profits at the locallevel in identifying needs and boosting certain programs.

To see how your county ranks and individual breakdowns, visit the Citizens for Missouri’s Children Web site.

Jessica Machetta reports [Download/listen MP3]

Compromise reached to keep budget process moving

May 7, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

A compromise has been reached to move the budget process along and complete the $23 billion state budget by tomorrow evening, but whether it will expand health care remains to be seen.

The House rejected on a party-line vote HB 11 , the social services budget that contained a provision to expand Medicaid to cover an additional 35,000 Missourians. The expansion relied on an additional hospital tax; still House Republicans saw it as an unnecessary expansion of Medicaid. After the rejection of HB 11, House Budget Committee Chairman Allen Icet (R-Wildwood) requested the Senate return to the negotiating table.

Senate-House budget negotiators reconvened in the Legislative Library at the Capitol in an effort to hammer out a compromise that could keep the budget process moving while considering an expansion of health care coverage. Negotiators have agreed to remove an expansion of Medicaid in the social services budget, which would allow HB 11 to pass the House. In exchange, the House has agreed to consider SB 306 , a more market-drive expansion of health care.

House Budget Committee Chairman Allen Icet of Wildwood says it’s an effort to resolve a problem that threatened the budget process. He said it was a compromise between doing nothing after the rejection of HB 11 in the House and the Senate position of expanding Medicaid.

"We’re agreeing to try to do something through SB 306, to reach that compromise," Icet told reporters after the conference committee meeting.

Majority House Republicans rejected the proposed Medicaid expansion, but Democrat Chris Kelly of Columbia, a House budget negotiator, agreed to the deal even though it’s unsure what the results might be.

"I think there are people of good faith on the other side; Republicans of good faith," said Kelly. "They have to move a difficult caucus on this. And so, we can’t drop the ball this early."

The question remains: can Icet deliver Republican votes for the Senate bill to expand health care?

"I will certainly try, because I’ve agreed to this," said Icet.

House Majority Floor Leader Steve Tilley (R-Perryville) told reporters he plans to bring SB 306 before the House Monday and send it to conference to see if an agreement can be reached that is acceptable to the House, the Senate and the governor’s office.

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (1:15 MP3)

Harsh debate on House floor prior to rejection of Medicaid expansion

May 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Emotional, heated, and harsh all describe debate on the House floor as the House rejects a proposed expansion of Medicaid contained in the social services budget bill.

Republicans in the House use their majority muscle to defeat HB 11, the social services budget bill that contained an expansion of Medicaid. The proposed expansion relied on an increase in the tax paid by Missouri hospitals. The $52.6 million raised through the increased hospital tax would be used to draw down $94.2 million in federal funds to provide coverage for Missourians making up to 50% of the federal poverty level, approximately 35,000 more Missourians.

Despite the fact that the proposal relied on an increase hospital tax, not an increase in General Revenue dollars, Republicans attacked it as an unnecessary expansion of Welfare.

Opposition by Republicans to HB 11 was well known prior to the bill coming to the floor for debate.

Rep. Mary Still, a Democrat from Columbia, noted the packed chamber prior to the vote.

"And it as if the majority party has come in for the kill," Still said of Republicans. "And it turns my stomach."

The House defeated the measure 75-85 on a mostly party-line vote.

Rep. Mike Talboy (D-Kansas City) spoke on the floor after exchanges had already gotten heated. He turned up the heat even more, refusing to call the proposal an expansion of Medicaid.

"In reality, it simply is a restoration of all the mistakes that were made in 2005," Talboy said, referring to cuts to Medicaid House Republicans pushed through that year to balance the state budget. "And the cruel and unchristian and unfair tax cuts…"

With the use of the term "unchristian" boos descended from Republicans, nearly drowning out Talboy and Speaker Pro Tem Bryan Pratt (R-Blue Springs) who he was debating.

Republican Tim Jones of Eureka even took note of the tenor of debate before speaking on the floor.

"Mr. Speaker, it sounded a little bit more like the House of Commons here today," Jones said, referring to the daily question period in Britain’s House of Commons which is often very lively, sometime raucous.

House Budget Chairman Allen Icet (R-Wildwood) brought the conference committee report of HB 11 to the floor for debate, even though he refused to sign the report. No House Republicans on the conference committee signed the report, a sign they didn’t agree to its contents.

Icet told colleagues he couldn’t accept the Medicaid expansion in the bill.

"I filed the bill, because I wanted to give the body the opportunity to debate the bill," Icet said to close debate on the bill. "But, Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I encourage my colleagues to vote against HB 11"

After the House rejected the bill, Icet moved to return to a conference with Senate budget negotiators, which the House agreed to and the Senate accepted. Conference members worked out a compromise designed to move the budget process along so it can be completed by the Friday 6pm deadline. The House will consider than compromise Thursday morning. The deal puts the question of health care expansion off until next week, when the House and Senate will try to reach an agreement on SB 306 .

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (1:11 MP3)