Latest news with #CHFS
16-05-2025
- Politics
Kentucky auditor sues governor in bid to end dispute blocking kinship care law
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Kentucky's Republican auditor sued Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday, asking a judge to untangle a dispute blocking the implementation of a state law meant to support adults who step up to care for young relatives who endured suspected abuse or neglect at home. The standoff revolves around whether funds are available to carry out the law's intent — enabling relatives who take temporary custody of children to later become eligible for foster care payments. Beshear signed Senate Bill 151 in April 2024 and his administration has praised the measure for seeking to help children in bad situations be placed with relatives or close family friends. But the governor warned at the time that lawmakers had not approved the necessary funding. A year later, his administration still maintains that nearly $20 million is needed for the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services to put the law into action, the lawsuit says. In her suit, Auditor Allison Ball says the state Constitution requires Beshear's administration to 'do whatever it takes' to carry out Kentucky laws. The suit asks a state judge to 'remind' the administration of that duty. 'As the policymaking body and holder of the power of the purse that determines the proper level of funding to give state agencies to carry out the commonwealth's laws, the General Assembly says that Governor Beshear and CHFS have more than enough money to carry out SB151 and must do so,' the suit says. Beshear's office said Thursday that his administration notified lawmakers on multiple occasions about the costs associated with carrying it out. 'Lawmakers had many opportunities to deliver the funding during both the 2024 and 2025 legislative sessions but chose not to,' Beshear spokesperson Crystal Staley said in a statement. 'It is simple: The Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled the state cannot implement programs and policies if it doesn't have the funding to do so," she added. Kentucky lawmakers ended this year's session weeks ago and aren't scheduled to reconvene until the 2026 session begins in January. An estimated 55,000 Kentucky children are currently in what's commonly called kinship care — when a child is living with relatives or close family friends instead of their parents. The 2024 measure — which sailed through Kentucky's Republican-led legislature with overwhelming support — is meant to fix what child welfare advocates say was a flaw in the support system. The law gives relatives considerably more time to apply to become foster parents for their young relatives, and thus eligible for foster care payments to help support the children already in their care. Frustration over the dispute resurfaced Tuesday when GOP lawmakers, including state Sen. Julie Raque Adams, the measure's lead sponsor, called out Beshear's administration for not implementing the law. 'They don't even have a program model for SB151, yet they continue to insist it would cost $20 million to implement,' she said. 'You can't assign a price tag to something you haven't built. The truth is, they have the tools to get started. They just haven't.' Ball's office started an investigation last October to determine whether the health and family services cabinet has the money to carry out the law or whether lawmakers needed to appropriate more funds. The suit says the probe has stalled because of what it calls the cabinet's 'obstruction,' and it asks the judge to order Beshear's administration to provide whatever information the auditor needs to complete the review.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
KY auditor sues governor to end impasse over financial help for kinship care families
Michelle Tynes, of Hickory in Graves County, and her grandson, Ashton, are a kinship care family. An estimated 59,000 Kentucky children are being raised by relatives other than their parents. (Photo provided) Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball has asked the Franklin Circuit Court to rule that the Beshear administration must implement an unfunded law passed in 2024 that aimed to give much-needed relief to kinship care families. Ball, a Republican, filed a lawsuit Thursday after a year of back-and-forth between the Republican-controlled legislature and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear's administration over Senate Bill 151. The law — on paper but not yet in reality — allows relatives who take temporary custody of a child, when abuse or neglect is suspected, to later become eligible for foster care payments. Ball's lawsuit names Beshear and Eric Friedlander, the outgoing secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS). Ball's lawsuit, among other things, asks the court to declare that, 'to abide by their constitutional duty to execute the law, Governor Beshear and CHFS must do what it takes to execute all of the General Assembly's laws using the funding they have.' Norma Hatfield, who is raising two grandchildren and is a longtime advocate for kinship care families in Kentucky, is 'thrilled' by Ball's lawsuit. 'I've been waiting for somebody to do something. It's just been extremely frustrating,' Hatfield told the Lantern. 'I am just thrilled that she's taken this on for these kinship families.' Ball said in a statement that the suit is 'about doing what is right for Kentucky's most vulnerable children and their caregivers. They deserve transparency, accountability, and meaningful action.' The Lantern has asked Beshear's office and the cabinet for comment. CHFS officials said it would cost $20 million to implement the law, which was not appropriated by the General Assembly when it passed. Lawmakers have criticized the administration for not finding the money in its existing budget. While the law has remained in limbo many Kentuckians raising minor relatives must make do without the level of government assistance that foster families receive. The Beshear administration has cited the state Constitution and two court cases, including a 2005 state Supreme Court decision, that it says precludes the executive branch from spending money the legislature has not appropriated. In her Thursday lawsuit, Ball calls Beshear's interpretation of that case, Fletcher v. Commonwealth, a 'tortured reading' of the law. 'As the policymaking body and holder of the power of the purse that determines the proper level of funding to give state agencies to carry out the Commonwealth's laws, the General Assembly says that Governor Beshear and CHFS have more than enough money to carry out SB 151 and must do so,' the lawsuit says. 'Flabbergasted:' Help for kinship care families passed unanimously. $20M price tag could derail it. The legislature enacted a new two-year state budget this year but took no action to appropriate the money the Beshear administration insists is needed. An estimated 59,000 Kentucky children are in what's commonly called kinship care. Research shows that staying with family has better outcomes for children, but government financial support for kinship care has been lacking in part because caregivers make an important decision hastily, under stress and without all the information they need. When the state removes a child from a home, grandparents and other family members often choose to take temporary custody rather than have the child go into state custody. State custody is the first step toward foster care. That first decision is permanent under current law which has excluded kinship caregivers who take temporary custody from ever receiving the $750 a month that foster parents receive for each child. Still crusading for 'kinship care' families Hatfield hopes this lawsuit can settle the debate over the 2005 Supreme Court decision for good, she said. 'If the cabinet and the governor are going to keep citing this, and the legislature doesn't agree with the interpretation that the cabinet and the governor's making, then we are going to have this problem in the future,' she said. In October, Ball's office announced an inquiry into the issue aimed at discovering what funds, if any, the cabinet could use to implement the law. In her lawsuit, Ball says the Beshear administration officials 'refuse to even cooperate' with the inquiry, using the same logic used to not implement SB151. 'To rectify this blatant disregard of their constitutional duty and their obstruction of the (Auditor of Public Account's) investigatory authority — obstruction that, to the APA's knowledge, no governor or executive branch agency has ever committed in the history of the Commonwealth — the APA is here to ask this court to remind Governor Beshear and CHFS of their constitutional duty to execute and obey the law,' the lawsuit states. The impasse between the Democratic governor and Republican legislature on this issue sends just one message to Hatfield, she said: 'I see them saying, 'I won't move one inch, even though grandma's losing thousands of dollars for that child. I'm not moving one inch.'' That's 'shameful,' she said. 'Politically, isn't it better in the long run to show that you've stepped in for that grandmother, you've stepped in for that child, and you have a success story?' Hatfield asked. 'Instead of putting up a barrier saying, 'I am right and I do nothing'?' 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Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Child traveling through KY in March had measles but no one else was exposed, says state
The rate of measles vaccination among Kentucky children has declined, state officials say. (Getty Images) A child traveling through Kentucky was diagnosed with measles in March, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) announced Thursday. The child isn't a United States resident, CHFS said. The child's vaccination status and age were not provided. The child was diagnosed while being treated at a 'health care facility in Kentucky,' the cabinet said. The case did not result in exposures for others, the cabinet said, because 'the health care facility adhered to strict safety protocols.' This is the second confirmed case of measles in Kentucky this year. The first was reported in February in a Kentuckian who attended Frankfort Planet Fitness. Kentuckian has confirmed case of measles Meanwhile, CHFS reports that amid 'the largest outbreak of measles in the United States since measles was declared eliminated in the country in 2000,' not enough Kentucky school children are getting immunizations. 'Coverage among kindergartners for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is effective at preventing diseases, including measles, and is legally required for school attendance in Kentucky, has dropped to 86.9%, which is lower than the national average of 93%,' CHFS said. This is a decline from 90% in the 2023-2024 school year. Measles is extremely contagious and is spread through the air from coughs or sneezes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One infected person can infect nine in 10 unprotected people around them, the CDC says. Measles symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash. The CDC recommends the measles vaccination series at 12-15 months and then at 4-6 years old. 'These are concerning trends that we are seeing,' Dr. Steven Stack, the state's public health commissioner, said in a statement. 'It is really important that folks are properly informed about vaccines so they can take safe steps to protect their children. Vaccines are safe and effective. We urge all parents to have their children vaccinated to ensure they are protected from preventable diseases like measles.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Kentucky Health and Family Services chief retiring, Dr. Steven Stack will succeed him
From left, Dr. Steven Stack, CHFS Secretary Eric Freidlander and Gov. Andy Beshear at Beshear's Thursday press conference. (Screenshot) Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander will retire Aug. 1, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday. Kentucky Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack will succeed him as CHFS secretary. The sprawling cabinet has a broad range of health and social services duties, from protecting children and vulnerable adults to administering the Medicaid program and inspecting nursing homes. It oversees billions of dollars in state and federal spending. Speaking of the two men, Beshear said 'their level of service goes beyond mere professionalism.' He raised them for 'living out their values at the highest level, selflessly serving all of our neighbors.' Both Stack and Friedlander were instrumental in guiding Kentucky through the COVID-19 pandemic and pushing back against vaccine misinformation. 'It has been an honor to serve,' Friedlander said during Beshear's weekly press conference. He also said his job over the last few years would have been more difficult 'if we didn't have a governor that actually believed in science.' Stack echoed that, thanking Beshear for supporting 'me in being able to be factual and straight with the people of Kentucky.' 'It feels now that we're entering a third act with all sorts of challenges coming from the federal government,' Stack said. 'Public health and health and family services is essential to ensuring that we have healthier people and healthier communities. If we fail to invest in these services and supports to ensure that all of us have the opportunity to thrive, we will all be worse off for it.' Beshear said the choice of Stack's replacement will be 'collaborative.' Friedlander has been in his current role since 2020, though he's worked in the cabinet for about four decades. He formerly worked as chief resiliency officer for the Louisville government. This story will be updated.
