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Payment backlog leaves Missouri child care providers desperate, on the brink of closing
This spring, the state of Missouri owed Kimberly Luong Nichols $5,000 in backlogged payments for children at her Kansas City daycare who were part of a state subsidy program. For four years, she’s operated a licensed daycare inside her home, where she currently serves 10 children. Luong Nichols stopped drawing a salary last summer to […]
Missouri is breaking federal law by housing mentally ill in nursing homes, DOJ finds
Missouri is violating federal disability law by unnecessarily institutionalizing thousands of adults with mental illness in nursing homes, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a scathing report published Tuesday. The report, which is based on a year-and-a-half of investigation, determined that those suffering with mental illness are “subjected to unnecessary stays in nursing facilities, […]
Feds to scrutinize Missouri’s worst-in-the-nation Medicaid application delays
Missouri’s delays in processing Medicaid applications — among the worst in the nation — have the attention of federal regulators, who will conduct a “focused review” of the problem, according to a letter obtained by The Independent. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in a letter sent to the state May 22 and […]
Missouri statewide candidates decry inaction on St. Louis area nuclear waste
Several Republican candidates for Missouri statewide office on Wednesday evening urged stronger state and federal action to clean up St. Louis-area radioactive waste and compensate victims. Parts of the St. Louis area have been contaminated for 75 years with radioactive waste left over from the effort to build the world’s first atomic bomb during World […]
Missouri Medicaid enrollment continues decline, down 200,000 since last June
Missouri’s Medicaid enrollment has shrunk by around 200,000 people since last summer, as the state continues the process of undoing a COVID-era pause on eligibility checks. The federal suspension on annual renewals expired last year and since then, states have been undergoing the process of re-verifying each participant’s eligibility. From June to April, Missouri’s net […]
Lawmakers adjourn without banning state from seizing benefits from Missouri foster kids
Legislation that would have banned Missouri from seizing the Social Security benefits of foster children was on the precipice of passing during the final days of the legislative session, but died when GOP infighting caused the state Senate to adjourn early. That means the state will continue to take millions of dollars in the next […]
Legislative interns help Missouri school districts claim over $1 million in federal funds
In March, the phone in state Rep. Deb Lavender’s office in Jefferson City started ringing constantly, but the calls weren’t for her. They were for her interns, Santino Bono and Alanna Nguyen. The interns, along with Dylan Powers Cody, who was interning for state Rep. Peter Merideth, had spent months cross-checking spreadsheets to pinpoint school […]
Legislation enacting total ban on child marriage in Missouri dies in the House
Child marriage will remain legal in Missouri for at least another year after Republican House leaders said they don’t have enough time to pass it. Under current Missouri law, anyone under 16 is prohibited from getting married. But 16 and 17 year olds can get married with parental consent to anyone under 21. Under legislation […]
Child care tax credits, a top priority for Missouri governor, face uphill battle in the Senate
For the second year in a row, the fate of a bill creating new child care tax credits — one of Gov. Mike Parson’s top legislative priorities — is in the hands of a faction of Republicans in the Missouri Senate. Designed to help improve access and affordability of child care, the package of child […]
Last-ditch push to ban child marriage in Missouri must overcome resistance in House
Lawmakers trying to ban child marriage in Missouri hope a last-minute push in the legislative session’s final days can overcome opposition from some Republicans that put the bill’s chances in doubt. A bill outlawing 16 and 17 years old from getting married stalled in a House committee when a handful of Republicans voiced opposition. There […]
Federal court rules Missourians were illegally denied food aid by the state
A federal judge ruled Thursday that Missouri’s social services agency violated the law in the way it has administered its food assistance program. U.S. District Court Judge M. Douglas Harpool ruled that the state’s practices — including long call center wait times and a lack of accommodations for those with disabilities — violate the laws […]
Missouri bill would loosen child labor law by removing work permit requirements
A push to eliminate Missouri’s requirement for children under 16 to obtain official work permits before they can begin a job could be debated by the House this week. In order to work in Missouri, 14 and 15 year olds must obtain a certificate issued by their school, with information from their prospective employer about […]