Colorado overpays jobless benefits by $128 million, pursues recipients, By Ryan Parker, June 6, 2012, Denver Post: “Colorado improperly paid nearly $128 million in unemployment benefits last year, and the state wants it all back. That included more than $98 million from state coffers, with the rest coming from the federal government’s extended-benefits plan, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. That Colorado money accounts for nearly 2 percent of the $5.1 billion in erroneous unemployment payments made by states nationwide in 2011, Labor Department spokesman Jason Kuruvilla said. The improper payments include some instances of fraud but most frequently are the result of clerical errors…”
Day: June 6, 2012
Medicaid Eligibility – Ohio
- Medicaid access made easier, By Catherine Candisky, June 6, 2012, Columbus Dispatch: “Ohio will be the 18th state to make it easier for poor children and pregnant women to get on-the-spot access to tax-funded health care. Under a pilot program starting next week, a handful of community health clinics and hospitals, including Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, will be authorized to do a quick screening and immediately grant eligibility for 60 days in the state Medicaid program. State officials say they plan to expand so-called ‘presumptive eligibility’ to clinics and hospitals statewide in about six months…”
- Ohio eases access for Medicaid-eligible patients, By Ann Sanner (AP), June 6, 2012, Coshocton Tribune: “State officials are hoping to more easily grant uninsured pregnant women and children in Ohio access to health care services under Medicaid, if they are likely to qualify for the program that provides coverage to the poor and disabled. A pilot program slated to start next week would allow certain health care providers in Ohio to presume the patient is eligible for Medicaid after an initial screening test. Children and expectant mothers would have to prove residency and provide other biographical details. The patients then could access the Medicaid-funded services immediately for 60 days while they apply for the program…”
Low-wage Work and Wage Theft
Low-income workers cite ‘wage theft’ by employers, By Tony Pugh, June 6, 2012, Detroit News: “For nearly a year, unemployed home health worker Leslie Gilbert of Grand Rapids has fought to get more than $400 in unpaid wages from her former employer. After months of promises that the money would be in her ‘next paycheck,’ Gilbert filed a complaint in October with the state. Officials told Focus Care Home Health of Southfield, to either pay Gilbert by June 1 or face a formal hearing. Gilbert still doesn’t have her money. Her experience is a classic example of what workers’ rights advocates call ‘wage theft,’ the practice of underpaying or not paying workers for their labor. The problem reflects a changing economy in which low-wage work has increased, more companies try to cut labor costs to stay afloat in a sour business climate, and fewer workers belong to unions that might protect them. At the same time, budget-cutting state and federal governments do not enforce wage laws as aggressively as they once did…”