Missouri Issues December 2020 Benefit Report
Well, Missouri continues to do a lousy job at helping struggling families.
The Department of Social Services has issued the Family Support 
Division and MO HealthNet Division Monthly Management Report for December 2020
As expected, the state is still shedding parents and kids from Temporary Assistance while food stamps/SNAP – despite a small bump from November to December [+5,848 – 0.8%] – keeps tracking way below where it ought due to the pandemic forced recession. The impact of this downturn is at least as bad as the 2008/2009 collapse – in many industries the pain is worse! Yet, TA helps fewer than one-fifth as many people as it did during the Great Recession, and, food stamps in Missouri are less than 75% of the 2010 level.
My belief is that systemic problems with how DSS handles programs “enhanced” by closed offices and overtaxed phone staff due to COVID-19 prevents at least tens of thousands of struggling, eligible Missourians from getting the help they need.
For example, information shared by the state outside the monthly report showed an average wait time of 34 minutes for callers to DSS for those lucky enough not to be ‘deflected’ due to call volume. In many areas of the state local offices aren’t open. So, since low-income people in rural areas are the people least likely to have robust internet access, well, access denied means no food stamps and long waits to apply for Medicaid.
Remember, in coming months around 200,000 to 300,000 Missourians (maybe more) will be applying for health care when Medicaid Expansion kicks in. A system unable to handle the current case load is bound to collapse.
On that cheery note…
Missouri December Benefits
2020 2010
Temporary Assistance
Children 15,549 73,014
Parents 5,021 37,323
TOTAL 20,570 110,337
Payments $1,943,453 $10,234,259
Per Family $ 224.24 $ 238.96
Per Day $ 7.23 $ 7.71
MO HealthNet (Medicaid)
Enrolled 1,028,653 899,237
Covered 1,021,781 939,293
Payments $790,120,788 $529,428,501
Per Person $ 773.28 $ 563.65
Managed Care 743,284 446,677
Per Person $ 287.29 $179.72
Nursing Facilities 21,975 22,836
Per Person $3,633 $3,217
Food Stamps
Participants 702,463 938,015
Benefits $130,711,913 $118,573,246
Per Person $ 186.08 $ 126.41
Per Meal $ 2.00 $ 1.36
Top Food Stamp Counties Dec. 2020
St. Louis Co. 108,060
Jackson Co. 97,905
St. Louis City 69,146
Greene Co. 34,152
Jefferson Co. 18,752
The top five counties hold 47% of the state’s food stamp recipients. In December 2010 food stamp allocations were boosted by a recession bonus. In December 2020 food stamp allocations were also boosted over standard rates.
Glenn Koenen