Elderly and disabled put at risk by cuts in home care, By John Leland, July 16, 2010, New York Times: “As states face severe budget shortfalls, many have cut home-care services for the elderly or the disabled, programs that have been shown to save states money in the long run because they keep people out of nursing homes. Since the start of the recession, at least 25 states and the District of Columbia have curtailed programs that include meal deliveries, housekeeping aid and assistance for family caregivers, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a research organization. That threatens to reverse a long-term trend of enabling people to stay in their homes longer…”
Day: July 21, 2010
Food Stamps Benefits and Reductions in Other Aid – Indiana
Indiana accused of cutting aid to food-stamp users, By Charles Wilson (AP), July 20, 2010, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: “For at least a decade, potentially thousands of Indiana’s neediest adults have seen some of their state aid payments slashed simply because they receive food stamps – a practice that advocates and legal experts said is a clear violation of federal law. The policy has affected people with developmental disabilities who need financial help to live independently and who receive additional assistance to buy groceries. The issue apparently went unnoticed for years until this month, when the father of a severely autistic Indianapolis man challenged it in court. ‘I’ve never heard of a state being confused about this before. The law is unambiguous,’ said Stacy Dean, director of food stamp policy for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington. Under the current system, when the federal government raises food stamp amounts, Indiana officials reduce grocery allowances so a person’s total food benefits do not exceed $200 a month. But since 1964, federal law has barred states from counting food stamps as income or using them to reduce any other public benefits…”
Extension of Jobless Benefits
Extension of benefits for the jobless clears Senate hurdle, By Carl Hulse, July 20, 2010, New York Times: “The Senate broke a stalemate on Tuesday over extending unemployment benefits for Americans who have been out of work for six months or more, voting to override Republican objections that the bill’s costs would add to the federal deficit. On a 60-to-40 vote, the Democratic-led Senate agreed to cut off debate on the $34 billion plan to distribute added unemployment compensation through November for those who have exhausted their standard 26 weeks of aid. The 60 yeas were the minimum needed to overcome the threat of a filibuster and advance the bill to a final vote, expected later on Tuesday, when it is all but certain to pass. Two Republicans, Senators Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, joined 56 Democrats and two independents in voting for the legislation; 39 Republicans and one Democrat, Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, opposed it…”