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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

Day: September 6, 2012

Foster Care Programs – Arizona, West Virginia

  • Many Arizona foster children living far from home, By Mary K. Reinhart, September 1, 2012, Arizona Republic: “A steady decline in foster homes combined with a record number of Arizona children in foster care means hundreds of kids taken from their families every month are being sent to live dozens, sometimes hundreds, of miles away from home. And nearly 1,900 of the state’s 13,500 foster children, including babies and toddlers, are living in crisis shelters and group homes because there are no family foster homes for them. Despite policies that require Arizona’s Child Protective Services to place kids as close to their homes as possible when they are removed from their parents because of suspected abuse or neglect, the state often fails to make that happen, to the detriment of the children and their families…”
  • U.S. finds W.Va. not in compliance on foster care, By Lori Kersey, September 3, 2012, Charleston Gazette: “While West Virginia officials cut child-care assistance to hundreds of low-income working parents, federal reviews show the state could do better at accessing other federal resources for children. West Virginia receives federal money to care for some children in state custody, often called Title IV-E money after the section of law that defines the program. In three out of the last four federal reviews of the state’s foster care program over a 10-year period, officials found that the state did not substantially comply with eligibility requirements to receive federal assistance. Most recently, in 2011, the state was not in compliance with eligibility requirements and paid over $200,000 back to the federal government…”

Household Food Security

Hunger rose in 2011 as economy struggled, USDA finds, By Tony Pugh, September 5, 2012, Kansas City Star: “Record numbers of U.S. households struggled at times to feed their families last year, according to a report Wednesday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the state of hunger in America. A lack of resources forced others to cut back on meals and disrupt their usual eating patterns, it says. A record 17.9 million U.S. households – 700,000 more than in 2010 – didn’t have enough food at all times last year to sustain active, healthy lives for all family members, according to the USDA. This ‘food insecurity’ affected a record 14.9 percent of U.S. households and more than 50 million people, about one in six U.S. residents…”

Medicaid Cuts – Maine

State’s Medicaid battle now a court case, By Steve Mistler, September 6, 2012, Morning Sentinel: “Maine’s standoff with the federal government over an estimated $20 million in Medicaid cuts has escalated to a court battle. Attorney General William Schneider said Tuesday that his office has petitioned the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals to force the federal government to approve Maine’s application to eliminate health care benefits for about 33,000 people, or begin paying Maine’s share of the coverage. The petition follows last week’s announcement that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would not expedite its decision on the state’s application. The LePage administration asked the agency in August to rule on the application by Sept. 1. Federal law allows 90 days to ratify or deny changes to a state’s Medicaid plan. The LePage administration says an expedited decision is necessary because Maine has balanced its budget based on the $20 million in anticipated savings from the health care cuts. The administration submitted its application Aug. 2…”