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Mo. House Committee Hears Testimony On State Welfare Contract

Marshall Griffin/St. Louis Public Radio

A Missouri House committee heard testimony Monday on efforts to shift state welfare recipients onto federal disability.

The Department of Social Services (DSS) has hired Boston-based Public Consulting Groupto switch clients from the state-run Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) programto federal disability payments, which don’t require recipients to have a job and also allows them to qualify for Medicare.  DSS Deputy Director Brian Kinkade says it was necessary to hire a contractor to do the work.

“These are very complicated rules," Kinkade said.  "The federal process is very complicated, and it takes expertise to know these rules – we just don’t have it in our department.”

DSS officials told the House Committee on Government Oversight that switching clients from state to federal aid could save Missouri $28 million a year.  State Representative Todd Richardson(R, Poplar Bluff) criticized the practice, saying the state is moving welfare recipients onto a “bankrupt federal program.”  The committee took no action on the issue Monday.

Follow Marshall Griffin on Twitter:  @MarshallGReport

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.
Marshall Griffin
St. Louis Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a native of Mississippi and proud alumnus of Ole Miss (welcome to the SEC, Mizzou!). He has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off an old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Liberty Belle, and their cat, Honey.
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