Latest news with #ArkansasDepartmentofHumanServices
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
USDA approves SNAP waivers for 3 states, where does Arkansas' stand?
Video: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announces plan to remove sugary foods from SNAP from April 2025. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — After Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced a plan to remove sugary foods from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, three states have had waivers approved. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins has approved waivers for Nebraska, Indiana and Iowa to remove sodas and sugary and unhealthy foods since the start of May, the first three states to be approved. Indiana and Arkansas were the first states to announce plans to ban soft drinks and candy from the program that helps low-income people pay for groceries. However, a spokesperson from the Arkansas Department of Human Services told KNWA/FOX24 on Tuesday that the state's waiver is still pending approval from the USDA. World War II soldier from Gravette killed during D-Day invasion to be buried next month Sanders said in a presser on April 15 that 23% of food stamp spending goes toward soft drinks, unhealthy snacks, candy and desserts. She said the waiver will ensure that taxpayers' dollars are spent on healthier food options. The plan, which would go into effect in July 2026, would exclude soda, including no- and low-calorie soda; fruit and vegetable drinks with less than 50% natural juice; 'unhealthy drinks;' candy, including confections made with flour, like Kit Kat bars; and artificially sweetened candy. A waiver signed by Arkansas Secretary of Health and Human Services Kristi Putnam said the exclusion would not extend to flavored water, carbonated flavored water, and sports drinks. One item would be added to the list of foods eligible for SNAP benefits: hot, ready-to-eat rotisserie chicken. Sander said in the April presser that if approved, the waiver would last for five years. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Arkansas Foster Family of the Year winners announced
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) hosted its annual Foster Family of the Year Gala Thursday night at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. At the end of the night, Teddy and Luz Garcia of Rogers were named the state's 2025 Foster Family of the Year. Longest-waiting child in Arkansas foster care system finds forever family DCFS officials said the Garcias became foster parents five years ago when two of their relatives entered the foster care system. They said what was initially a temporary opportunity to care for family members has grown into a blended family. Also at the gala, nine families were named as the 2025 Arkansas Foster Family of the Year for their area: Lori Cooper, Fort Smith Israel and Adriana Villaloz, Hot Springs Matt and Laura Smith, Texarkana Calvin and Hailey Manion, Conway David and June Simpson, North Little Rock Pamela Thomas-Nelson, Pine Bluff Joey and Jessica Patten, Mammoth Spring David and Kristian Ingle, Beebe Justin and Brandy Morphis, Monticello Arkansas Department of Human Services Secretary Kristi Putnam said that foster families fill a critical need. 'Foster families are everyday heroes,' she said. 'They are the backbone of our child welfare system, and we are deeply grateful for their partnership and dedication.' New nonprofit started by Little Rock teen focuses on building friendships with kids in foster homes, struggling with mental health DCFS officials said Arkansas has approximately 3,400 children in foster care. Each year, caseworkers, child advocates, and fellow foster parents nominate families who go above and beyond to support vulnerable children and families. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘The first time didn't work': Georgia and Arkansas scale back Medicaid work requirements
Arkansas Department of Human Services Sec. Kristi Putnam discusses the state's waiver request for Medicaid work requirements on Jan. 28, 2025 as State Medicaid Director Janet Mann (left) and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders listen. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) President Donald Trump's return to the White House sent a clear signal about Medicaid to Republicans across the country: Requiring enrollees to prove they are working, volunteering, or going to school is back on the table. The day after Trump's inauguration, South Carolina GOP Gov. Henry McMaster asked federal officials to approve a work requirement plan. Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine plans to soon follow suit. Republicans in Congress are eyeing Medicaid work requirements as they seek to slash billions from the federal budget. But, just as a second Trump administration reignites interest in work requirements, Georgia is proposing to scale back key parts of the nation's only active program. And Arkansas announced an effort to revive — with fundamental changes — a program that ended after a legal judgment in 2019. The Georgia and Arkansas proposals, from the only two states to have implemented Medicaid work requirements, reveal the disconnect between rhetoric behind such programs and the realities of running them, said consumer advocates and health policy researchers. 'They recognize that what they did the first time didn't work,' said Ben Sommers, a Harvard professor and a former health official in the Biden and Obama administrations. 'It should be a signal to federal policymakers: Don't point to Georgia and Arkansas and say, 'Let's do that.'' More than a dozen states had Medicaid work requirement programs approved during Trump's first administration. After an expensive and bumpy rollout, Georgia in January posted a draft renewal plan for its Georgia Pathways to Coverage program. The plan removes the requirement to document work every month and to pay premiums. Those key elements — which supporters have argued promote employment and personal responsibility — were never implemented, the state said. Enrollees would still have to meet the work requirement when they first apply and when they renew each year. The draft plan also expands the group of people who can opt out of work reporting to include parents of children under age 6. A public comment period on the plan is open through Feb. 20. Arkansas' latest request to federal officials doesn't require enrollees to report their work hours. Instead, it proposes checking whether people are working, caregiving or fulfilling other qualifying activities by using data, which could include income, job history, educational status, whether a child lives at home, and other criteria, said Gavin Lesnick, a spokesperson for the state's Medicaid agency. People deemed 'not on track towards meeting their personal health and economic goals' won't be disenrolled but can participate in a 'success coaching' program to maintain coverage, according to the state's proposal. A public comment period on Arkansas' program runs through March 3. More than 90% of U.S. adults eligible for Medicaid expansion are already working or could be exempt from requirements, according to KFF. Still, several states are quickly moving to restart Medicaid work requirements. Besides the three states of Arkansas, Ohio, and South Carolina, Iowa and South Dakota are considering similar proposals. Lawmakers in Montana are weighing them as they debate renewing the state's Medicaid expansion. This week, House Republicans floated a budget proposal to cut $880 billion from the Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for people with low incomes or disabilities. Before the release of that plan, Speaker Mike Johnson said Republicans were discussing changes to Medicaid that include imposing work requirements. Supporters of such requirements say Medicaid should be reserved for people who are working. Right now, it 'disincentivizes many low-income families from earning additional income' because they would lose health coverage if they make too much money, said South Carolina Gov. McMaster in his January letter to federal officials. He has argued that a work-reporting requirement is 'fiscally responsible' and 'will incentivize employment.' There is no evidence showing such programs improve economic outcomes for people; the requirements don't help people find jobs, but not having health insurance can keep them from working, health policy researchers say. The goal of Ohio's plan is to focus 'resources and efforts on those who are engaged with their health choices and independence,' said the state. The plan doesn't require most individuals to regularly 'report activities, fill out forms, or take any action' beyond what is generally required for Medicaid enrollment. Ohio estimates that more than 61,000 people, or 8% of enrollees subject to its measure, would lose Medicaid eligibility in the first year. Consumer advocates, health policy analysts, and researchers said the scaling back seen in recent work requirement proposals speaks to the challenges of mandating them for public benefits — and could serve as a cautionary tale for Republicans in Washington, D.C., and across the country. The programs can eliminate people from the Medicaid rolls or suppress enrollment, while adding costly layers of bureaucracy, they said. 'As a matter of health policy, work-reporting requirements in Medicaid are fundamentally flawed,' said Leo Cuello, a researcher at the Georgetown Center for Children and Families. Arkansas got its initial program off the ground in 2018 before a federal judge said it was illegal. Unlike Georgia, the state had already expanded Medicaid. That work-reporting requirement led to more than 18,000 people losing coverage, in part because enrollees were unaware or confused about how to report they were working. In his ruling that ended the program, Judge James Boasberg said its approval was 'arbitrary and capricious' because it failed to address a core goal of Medicaid: 'the provision of medical coverage to the needy.' Arkansas' latest proposal tries to address a potential legal challenge by suspending, rather than terminating, health coverage through the end of the calendar year for people who don't meet requirements. 'We have worked to design this amendment taking into account lessons learned from previous work requirements,' said Arkansas Medicaid Director Janet Mann at a press conference in late January announcing the new proposal. But the requirements are 'subjective,' and the difference between suspension and termination isn't meaningful, said Camille Richoux, health policy director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. 'The impact is the same: You can't go to the doctor,' she said. 'You can't get your prescriptions filled.' In Georgia, the Pathways program, launched in 2023, has offered coverage to a small portion of those who would qualify for Medicaid if the state had fully expanded it to all low-income adults, as 40 others have done. With the proposed changes, the state estimates enrollment in Pathways would grow to as many as 30,000 people in the final year of the pilot. The state currently estimates at least 246,000 would become eligible for Medicaid under a full expansion. About 6,500 people were enrolled in Pathways as of late January, said Grant Thomas, the state's deputy Medicaid commissioner, in a legislative hearing. According to state officials, the program has cost more than $57 million in state and federal funds through December, with most of that money going toward program administration, not benefits. 'Pathways is doing what it is designed to do: increase access to affordable health care coverage while lowering the uninsured rate across Georgia,' said Russel Carlson, the state's Medicaid director. The changes to Pathways are an attempt to 'improve the member experience' while finding ways 'to make government more efficient and accessible,' he added. Pathways requires that enrollees regularly submit documentation to prove they are working, but the program doesn't include meaningful measures to help people find work, critics said. People who could be eligible for Pathways have said the whole process is time-consuming due to lengthy questionnaires, a glitchy system for uploading documents, and confusing technical language on the website, according to those working with potential enrollees. 'There's stuff that sounds good on paper, but when you go to implement it in real life, it's costly and burdensome,' said Leah Chan, director of health justice at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. So far, Pathways has cost state and federal taxpayers nearly $9,000 per enrollee, largely back-end costs to run the program. States that have expanded Medicaid spent about $6,500 per enrollee in that group in 2021, according to KFF researchers. Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp has said he's committed to his signature health program, but some Republican state lawmakers have shown an openness to consider full expansion. A group of Democratic senators cited KFF Health News' reporting last year when they asked the federal government's top watchdog to investigate Pathways spending. Even with the proposed changes, some people, including those who work in the informal or gig economy, may not have official records and may be locked out of health coverage, said Laura Colbert, executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future, a nonprofit consumer health advocacy organization. People caring for older children or aging relatives, older adults who struggle to find work, and those with medical conditions that prevent them from working still wouldn't qualify for health coverage, she said. 'The Pathways program just doesn't reflect the reality of how people are working,' Colbert said. 'Pathways is a program that has clearly been developed by people who have had salaried jobs with predictable incomes.' KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Arkansas again seeks Medicaid work requirement waiver
Arkansas Department of Human Services Sec. Kristi Putnam discusses the state's waiver request for Medicaid work requirements on Jan. 28, 2025 as State Medicaid Director Janet Mann (left) and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders listen. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) Arkansas is again seeking a Medicaid work requirement that state officials say incorporates lessons learned from previous attempts. Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday shared a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary-Designate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a waiver request to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requesting the implementation of a work requirement for 'able-bodied, working-age recipients' of the state's Medicaid expansion program — Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me (ARHOME). The waiver will be submitted to CMS following a 30-day public comment period, State Medicaid Director Janet Mann said. Arkansas became the first state to implement a work requirement for some Medicaid recipients in 2018, but a federal judge halted the policy the following year. Arkansas was one of 13 states to receive permission to impose work rules on some Medicaid recipients during Donald Trump's first administration. With his return to the White House, more states might again apply for work requirements from an administration that's demonstrated it's amenable to them, according to Stateline. It costs Arkansas more than $2.2 billion annually to support the roughly 220,000 'able-bodied, working-age adults' on ARHOME, an estimated 90,000 of whom are unemployed, according to the letter. If the waiver is approved, the work requirement would apply to Arkansans ages 19-64 who are eligible through the new adult expansion group, have an income at or below 138% of the federal poverty level and are covered by a qualified health plan, according to the waiver request. 'The requirement is simple — you want to receive free health care paid for by your fellow taxpayer, able-bodied working-aged adults have to work, go to school, volunteer or be home to take care of their kids,' Sanders said at a press conference at the Capitol. Learning from past issues with the program, state officials said the new waiver differs from previous work-requirement attempts in that it removes the burden of reporting requirements from recipients through the use of data matching. Data matching refers to the practice of comparing different sets of data to identify similarities and relationships. Additionally, state agencies will use multiple forms of communication to connect with recipients, and when beneficiaries fall out of compliance, they will be suspended from the program instead of disenrolled, state officials said. Medicaid eligibility was expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, but when the public health emergency ended last year, the Arkansas Department of Human Services began 'unwinding' the extension by disenrolling clients the agency considered ineligible. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Between April and September 2024, more than 184,500 Arkansans lost coverage because they did not provide necessary eligibility information. In some cases, beneficiaries likely declined to submit renewal paperwork because they no longer qualified for coverage, state officials have said. But advocates have argued that some still-eligible beneficiaries likely lost coverage because they never received proper notification or encountered problems when trying to return renewal information. Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families said it was unable to comment on the details of the requested CMS waiver because DHS did not provide a copy prior to Tuesday's announcement, but the nonprofit organization did have concerns about the waiver's effect on Arkansas. 'Although the state is looking at the various problems that occurred during the last round of work-reporting requirements, the bottom line is that Medicaid is not a workforce or a work-incentive program,' AACF said in a statement. 'It is an insurance program for low-income adults and children.' Noting that 130,000 of the 220,000 able-bodied individuals on the program are currently working, AACF said this highlights that despite common messaging about Medicaid recipients, the majority have a desire to work and provide for their families. During the state's first attempt at a Medicaid work requirement, more than 18,000 Arkansans lost health insurance coverage between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31, 2018, for failing to meet those work-reporting requirements, according to AACF. Of those removed, 97% were compliant or had exemptions, but still lost coverage. Proposed Medicaid cuts would hurt rural areas, including Arkansas kids, researchers say The loss of health care coverage can lead to higher health care costs for all Arkansans because of increased emergency room usage, hospitalizations and unreimbursed medical care, according to AACF. 'Hospitals could be impacted, and people will lose their jobs when they become too sick to work,' AACF's statement reads. 'At a time when families are living paycheck to paycheck and struggling with the high cost of living, now is not the time to take away people's health insurance while forcing taxpayers to foot the bill for more unwanted bureaucracy.' Work requirements are already part of other federal assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, DHS Secretary Kristi Putnam said Tuesday. The 'Pathway to Prosperity' waiver is about helping Arkansans learn about new opportunities, seek new skills and pursue new careers, she said. 'The goal should be for Medicaid to be a safety net, and we should routinely see healthy adults moving from government dependence to economic independence, improving their health in the process,' Putnam said. 'It is not punitive. It is about purpose.' Individuals who are suspended from the program can become active again and have their full benefits restored by notifying DHS of their intention to cooperate with personal development plan requirements, according to the waiver request. DHS also plans to use data matching to identify ARHOME beneficiaries who are 'not on track towards meeting their personal health and economic goals,' according to the state's waiver request. Those individuals will then be contacted by a 'Success Coaching resource.' DHS is assessing public and private options to fulfill Success Coaching roles, but intends to leverage resources and community partnerships, according to the waiver request. Details about the nuances of the program's implementation will be determined during negotiations with CMS, Putnam said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
