JEFFERSON CITY • Following the lead of their colleagues in Illinois, senators in Missouri approved a plan Thursday to hire a private company to make sure welfare benefits aren’t being paid out to people who are either dead or don’t qualify for them.
The Senate approved the plan on a unanimous vote. In Illinois, a similar program raised red flags about more than 300,000 people who were receiving Medicaid and other benefits for low-income residents.
If approved in the House and signed into law, the Department of Social Services would be required to award a two-year contract with a company that would verify whether Missourians are eligible for Medicaid, child care subsidies and food stamps.
The state currently reviews eligibility for various aid programs once a year. The proposal, sponsored by state Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville, requires monthly reviews to see if recipients are eligible.
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The savings could top $24 million, much of which would be returned to the department for use in other programs serving needy families.
The legislation is Senate Bill 607
