• Home
  • News
    • Business
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
    • Legislature
    • Politics / Govt
  • Sports
    • The Bill Pollock Show
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support

Missourinet

Your source for Missouri News and Sports

You are here: Home / Archives for Welfare

State to clamp down on where people spend welfare money

December 18, 2013 By Jessica Machetta

The State Auditor’s Office has looked at the state’s welfare system, and says some 400 people could be riding the state’s tax system without even living in Missouri. Auditor Tom Schweich also says it’s clear some recipients of state assistance are spending that money on alcohol, cigarettes, gambling, and adult entertainment.

“We looked at 817,000 transactions totaling $96 million for a one year period in fiscal year 2012,” Schweich said, “and the total percentage of questionable transactions we found was relatively low, but the dollar value was still over $700,000 people using electronic benefits transactions cards for out-of-state transactions for over 90 days, which makes it look like they’re not a Missouri resident, and we found over 16 hundred cases of people using EBT cards at inappropriate establishments such as liquor stores, tobacco stores, gambling locations, places like that.”

He says the fact that TANF and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits exist to help children makes some of the locations where people are spending them inappropriate.

Schweich says new federal regulations mandate that Missouri tighten its regulations on electronic benefits transfers, and that the Department of Social Services is implementing a system that will better track where people are withdrawing and spending their welfare benefits.

The audit shows that out-of-state transactions totaled $3.4 million from about 9,300 cases. At least 366 of those cases showed welfare benefits were accessed exclusively for out-of-state purchases or withdrawals for more than 90 days. About 68 percent of those transactions happened in bordering states.

Schweich points to a couple of cases where people were spending all of their benefits for an extended period in farther away locations such as Texas, California, and the Virgin Islands.

“We had one person using their benefits in California for almost an entire year,” he said. “We had somebody who had spent 338 days in California and was still getting Missouri benefits.”

In June of this year, the Department of Social Services initiated a limited merchant awareness law that restricts usage of Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) money in accordance with a state law passed earlier this year.

“For example,” the audits says, “five states prohibit TANF cash from being used for certain items like alcohol, seven states have disabled TANF EBT access at ATMs or terminals at casinos, and two states prohibit using the cards for alcohol by prohibiting non-SNAP authorized business to participate in the TANF EBT program.”

Schweich says the new system at Social Services should allow employees to better track welfare recipients who are using that money exclusively out-of-state for extended periods, and then will need to follow up with those recipients to determine if they are no longer a Missouri resident, in which case their benefits would be terminated.

He admits that the money in question is a very small percentage of the Department of Social Services program, but says because that program is so large, it adds up to a lot of money.

Schweich wouldn’t comment on his personal reaction to the audit’s findings, but House Speaker Tim Jones called the findings “shocking.”

“The information Auditor Schweich uncovered will be extremely useful to the House as we work to formulate our legislative priorities for the upcoming session,” Jones said. “The facts are simply shocking. More than $260,000 was spent at businesses like liquor stores, casinos, and smoke shops, in violation of current law. Additionally, nearly $129,000 was spent by people who had been out-of-state for more than 180 days, indicating they likely no longer live in Missouri yet were still using Missouri taxpayer dollars. Clearly, more must be done to prevent fraud and abuse in the TANF system, and we will make this a priority during the upcoming session.”

Filed Under: News, Politics / Govt Tagged With: food stamps, Missouri Department of Social Services, TANF, Welfare

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)

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:

Filed Under: Health / Medicine, News Tagged With: Department of Social Services, Jay Barnes, Medicaid, Missouri House of Representatives, Sue Allen, TANF, Tim Jones, Welfare

Lawmakers weigh whether welfare reform bill would cost or save the state money

February 21, 2013 By Mike Lear

A Northwest Missouri representative has presented a welfare reform package aimed at fighting fraud and saving the state money.

Representative Casey Guernsey (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

Representative Casey Guernsey (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

The fiscal note on Representative Casey Guernsey’s (R-Bethany) legislation says its proposals could put the state in danger of losing more than $3.5 billion dollars in federal matching funds for Medicaid tied to covering populations and services as mandated by the federal government. It could also cost the state more than $4.8 million dollars from the General Revenue Fund.

Guernsey says significant fraud is common in the state’s welfare programs and is wasting taxpayer money. That includes federal dollars coming to Missouri.

He says his proposal is, “looking at fundamentally restructuring the entitlement mentality in this state, and that is certainly going to save money because there is a lot of money that we do not spend well within these programs.”

Former state senator Jim Lembke, now lobbying for United for Missouri, testified to a House Committee there are places in Medicaid and welfare programs where reform could save the state money.

Lembke says while still a senator he was told by the Missouri Hospital Association that there was up to 30 percent of waste, fraud and abuse in the state’s Medicaid program, equaling $2.8 billion dollars.

He says the state’s food stamp program totals about $1 billion dollars annually. “If there is 10 percent waste, fraud and abuse in that program that’s $100,000,000 a year … is it worth while, us having these conversations and looking at these programs and making sure that we’re being good stewards of the people’s money?”

See the proposal, HB 343

Guernsey says he began working on the issue when retail businesses in his district saw recipients of some state welfare programs abusing them and wanted something done about it. He criticizes the Department of Social Services’ investigators, saying they are ineffective.

“They, I think, do work much harder to create the illusion of doing work and pass off a lot of their work on the caseworkers than they do themselves.”

Guernsey’s bill would set into law how investigations should be conducted into reports of welfare fraud and their timeframe, and establish that the Department may fire a fraud investigator that doesn’t comply.

It would also add new eligibility requirements for welfare programs, including a requirement that all recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) prove all dependent children are enrolled in public school and attending regularly if eligible.  Representative Jill Schupp (D-Creve Coeur) says that could violate the Constitution.

She asks, “Are we saying that when I’ve reached the age of 17 and I have not graduated from school and I want to drop out but my mom receives TANF benefits that I’m not allowed to go to work?”

Guernsey tells Schupp he believes a person in that scenario could work to achieve a General Equivalency Diploma (GED). Schupp says she believes that could be holding that person to a different standard than other 17 year-olds.

The bill would also require all recipients of TANF, food stamps, child care assistance, SNAP or similar programs and are 18 or older to have a high school diploma or GED.

Another provision would limit foods that can be bought with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to only those approved under the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. Missouri Retailers Association President David Overfelt testifies Missouri can’t impose such a limit.

“We do not have the authority to do this. We’d risk losing the whole SNAP program without trying to get a waiver … a waiver that’s never been granted.”

Guernsey says the federal government would benefit from considering a waiver for his proposal.

“They’re never going to reform a broken system unless they’re presented with an option that is better than the current one. There are no restrictions [on SNAP] right now. That’s completely unfair to the taxpayers.”

Other provisions in the bill would require the Department to set rules and regulations to ensure compliance with federal law while accounting for individuals and households with special needs and making sure all eligible members of a household can access benefits. It would have the Department seek a federal waiver to allow photo identification for food stamps, with photo I.D. cards to be issued by the Department to each eligible household member aged 16 and older, then require all retailers accepting electronic benefit cards to verify identities using the photos.

It would also specify that anyone who commits welfare fraud permanently loses eligibility, and require TANF recipients to make at least 20 job contacts a week while on the program or allow them to work as unpaid interns for a governmental entity and make only 10 contacts.

The committee has not voted on Guernsey’s legislation.

Filed Under: Legislature, News Tagged With: Casey Guernsey, food stamps, Jill Schupp, Missouri Department of Social Services, Missouri House of Representatives, TANF, Welfare

Tighter Welfare Rules Being Applied

July 19, 2007 By admin Leave a Comment

Tightened federal standards and a big potential penalty force the state to change its rules in a key welfare program. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program has been in effect for eleven years.  During that time people signing up for the program start getting payments and then are referred to another state program to help them find work.  A person can not receive more than 60 monthly payments in his entire life. 

The federal government wants states to have half of the recipients in some kind of job.  But various exemptions have let the state get by with only 15 to 20 percent of the recipients drawing paychecks. Director Janel Luck with the Family Support Division says new federal law tightens the definition of  "allowable work activities"  The federal standards allow people involved in counseling programs for substance abuse, domestic violence, or mental health treatments to be considered as being in those activities.

The division’s new rules say a person seeking the TANF has to work with the Division of Workforce Development to determine job skills and matching them with potential jobs before paperwork is finished for the temporary aid. 

Luck says the state has to get close to the 50-percent level by October first.  If it does not, it could lose more than 10-million dollars in federal funding for the program in the first year, and ultimately 45-million. 

 

Download Bob Priddy’s story (:60 mp3)

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Department of Social Services, Welfare

Social Services Director Retires

August 13, 2006 By admin Leave a Comment

The head of the state’s welfare agency leaves this week, looking back on what he’s done in 16 months, and looking at the future leadership of his department. Social Services Director Gary Sherman was talked into returning to Missouri in April of 2005. He says the department is spending its money wisely and prudently now and has eliminmated millions in fraud and waste. He says the person in charge of the department must be compassionate about people and children…but also has to be passionate about not wasting money. And he says the director has to support his social workers who have to make the most difficult decisions about the futures of children and families. Sherman says a director has to be able to understand the pain social workers often feel. But he says the director also must demand excellence. Sherman has held other jobs with the social services department and he thinks that has helped him understand the people working in the trenches while he has worked with political decision makers. Sherman says he never intended to stay very long. He says he came back to serve his home state…and he hopes people remember him for what he gave back. But he says he will always worry that he didn’t do enough in child welfare….because he knows any mistakes he made could have directly affected the lives and the chance of survival of children. He says he’ll always wonder if he could have done more. A spokesman for Governor Blunt says an interim director will be named. There’s no timetable for picking a permanent replacement.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Children & Families, Department of Social Services, Welfare

Social Welfare Group Urges Expanded Health Care Discussion

July 20, 2005 By admin Leave a Comment

A leading social welfare group wants the legislature to expand its concern about healthcare beyond Medicaid. A series of public hearings has been planned by the Missouri Association for Social Welfare, similar to the hearings being held by the Medicaid Reform Commission. Joplin business owner, Caroline Underwood, says she’s a proud resident of Missouri, but isn’t as proud of its government. She says when she got laid off and found herself without health insurance, she had trouble getting her state representative or senator to address her concerns. Underwood says she had legitimate quesions about Medicaid that went unanswered. Others at the Capitol news conference ask that lawmakers consider health care in general, rather than Medicaid in particular. One of those is Dr. Laurel Walter, a family physician in Columbia, who says change is essential. Walter says she supports changes to Medicaid, which she asserts are long overdue. But Walter adds that any reform of health care must include change in the insurance industry, which she blames for complicated and confusing rules requiring reams of paperwork.

Filed Under: Health / Medicine, Legislature, Politics / Govt Tagged With: Department of Social Services, insurance, Medicaid, Welfare

Conceal and Carry Fix Signed Into Law

July 13, 2005 By admin Leave a Comment

Missouri’s conceal and carry gun law has been fixed.Governor Blunt has signed legislation that addresses the State Supreme Court’s concerns about how the law would be funded. The court upheld the law, but found fault with its funding mechanism, ruling it imposed a mandate on counties without providing funding, a violation of the Hancock Amendment.The law allows sheriffs to use the $100 permit fee to cover the expense of issuing permits. If the fee fails to cover the expense, the state will pay the remainder. Nearly all counties had gone ahead and issued permits, despite the Supreme Court ruling. Only St. Louis and St. Louis County refused to issue permits following the court ruling.

Filed Under: Legislature, Politics / Govt, Weather Tagged With: Supreme Court, Welfare, Westminster College

Talent Pushes For End To US Senate Filibustering Over Welfare-To-Work Program Renewal

April 5, 2004 By admin Leave a Comment

The welfare-to-work program has been called – by both Democrats and Republicans – one of the most successful programs ever to come out of Washington, D.C. But efforts to extend it by another five years have bogged down in the U.S. Senate becaue of a Democratic filibuster over their desire to tie the extension to an increase in the minimum wage. Senator Jim Talent says the two are separate and welfare reform must be extended or we could see a lot of problems. The reform was signed into law by President Clinton in 1996 and has been extended several times since then. The current proposal would extend welfare-to-work for another five years.

Filed Under: Politics / Govt Tagged With: Jim Talent, Welfare

Child Welfare Bill Approved By House

April 18, 2003 By admin Leave a Comment

A bill promoted as a fix of the troubled state child welfare system easily passes the House and moves to the Senate. And, though the foster care bill wins approval on a 121-to-14 vote, it has its critics. The bill calls for the state to experiment with privatization. It tightens court deadlines when children are taken from the home, beefs up parental rights and opens court records in such cases. The Legislature began work on the system after 2-year-old Dominic James died while in the care of state-approved foster parents.

Filed Under: Legislature Tagged With: Child Abuse, Children & Families, Welfare

Group Protests Welfare Cuts

June 14, 2002 By admin Leave a Comment

The end of the welfare benefit line comes in two weeks for 413 Missouri families currently receiving monthly checks. And, the welfare rights group “GRO-Grass Roots Organizing,” isn’t pleased with that. GRO’s Robin Acree claims the Department of Social Services has not not reached out to the families being cut off. Social Services Department Director Kathy Martin says the families haverefused to cooperate with Department officials. The 413 families have been receiving welfare checks for the entire five year period that welfare reform measures have been in place. Federal law says it’s time for them to be cut off.

Filed Under: Health / Medicine Tagged With: Department of Social Services, Welfare

Next Page »


Tweets by Missourinet

Sports

Cardinals and Royals will have fans at The K and Busch Stadium this season.

After … [Read More...]

Mizzou falls to Alabama in SEC Tournament

Mizzou … [Read More...]

Girl hurt in crash with ex-Chiefs Coach “likely has permanent brain damage”

A girl … [Read More...]

Dru Smith’s after late layup secures Mizzou’s first win at Florida “It meant a lot to us.”

Dru … [Read More...]

Crunch time for Mizzou hoops. Eli the best at selling Tigers football (PODCAST)

Thanks for … [Read More...]

More Sports

Tweets by missourisports

Archives

Opinion/Editorials

TwitterFacebook

Copyright © 2021 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC