A few weeks back NBC News reported that Missouri – alone among the 50 states – refused to let kids out of school for the summer receive free “Grab & Go” lunches paid for by the federal government. Governor Mike Parson feared that just giving families pre-packed, cold lunches created a staggering opportunity for diversion and corruption.
Today The Missouri Independent noted that Missouri families are still waiting for summer food benefit for low-income children. It seems the Missouri Department of Social Services and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education never got their acts together to distribute federally-issues special food stamp benefits to families with school age kids. The article reports that “Officials expect benefits to be dispersed before the end of the year,” and, families “should start receiving benefits by the end of 2022.” [Mallory McGowin, DESE]
Yes, in Missouri the best we can for families struggling to feed their kids in June, July and August is probably send them aid starting in December.
Once again, preventing hungry children from getting food is The Missouri Way.
Oh, the article cites state bureaucrats lamenting the problems with coordinating actions between two state departments, mistakes on the application to the feds (so the paperwork wasn’t accepted till October), confusion over changes from the 2021 program and other gibberish.
Let’s cut to the chase: His Accidency and his administration doesn’t giver a damn about poor people and sees no reason to effectively use federal money to help keep kids from going hungry.
Let’s not forget that Parson prefers friends and former legislators with no program experience to run major state departments instead of professionals. The Department of Social Services is run not by someone with decades heading benefit programs, no, the long-term Acting Director is Robert Knodell a former second tier assistant in the governor’s office. That department’s most expensive division, MO HealthNet [Medicaid] is run by former Speaker of the House – and part time community college instructor – Todd Richardson. The Children’s Division’s leader is a former Republican circuit judge.
Wait, being politically connected does not make someone incompetent. Fair enough. Let’s look at their track records…
DSS has been sued in federal court for horribly handling food stamps (aka SNAP), resulting in at least tens of thousands of Missouri citizens getting denied aid they are eligible to get. And, most get less in help than they ought under federal guidelines.
MO HealthNet is so far behind in processing applications that the federal government gave them an ultimatum. Meanwhile, just 217,000 citizens joined the rolls after Medicaid Expansion became law when at least 275,000 ought to be eligible. [8/22 Monthly Management Report]
The Children’s Division, alas, can’t keep staff and routinely fails to get services to the most vulnerable kids. Several professionals have called its work “disgraceful.”
Again, Governor Mike Parson always touts The Missouri Way as the best course of action to run this state. Hungry kids, folks needing medical care or abused children, well, his way is to not give a damn about them.
Glenn Koenen
Image from Feeding America