[Missouri-l] What's Behind Recommending Budget Cuts Affecting Miss ouri's Blind?

Tue Feb 28 21:40:25 CST 2012

Thanks, Denny for Rep. Allen's remarks. It behooves us to check the State House website daily because, when they put the hearing for this issue on next week's calendar, we can know about it. Isaac in Rep. Silvey's office assured me that the budget committee hearing wil be open to the public. But, no public testimony will be given; only the discussion between representatives will take place.
David Rosenkoetter
Kansas City, MO

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State Representative Sue Allen

Missouri State Representative, R-92

What's Behind Recommending Budget Cuts Affecting Missouri's Blind? 

As most people in the state of Missouri are aware, the state faces a massive
budget deficit in the next fiscal year of around $500-700 million. However,

the state is constitutionally required to have a balanced budget every
fiscal year.

The process of getting from a $500 million deficit to a balanced budget is a
difficult process. In preparing Missouri's annual budget, various House
Appropriations

Committees prepare annual allocation recommendations for the Budget
Committee. These recommendations are then considered in total in the House
Budget Committee

which is charged with creating the state's annual budget.

The House Appropriations Committee on Health, Mental Health and Social
Services evaluates spending on state programs which comprise the largest
amount of

annual spending evaluated by any Appropriations Committee.

To make cuts that would minimize the impact on those most in need, the
Appropriations Committee on Health, Mental Health, and Social Services
opened up

each department's "core budget" which is often overlooked. The committee
also tracked appropriations spent and withheld by the governor over the past
five

years to create a trend analysis and to see where programs consistently
underspent.

One of the more controversial decisions we had to make was regarding the
"State Medical" line item, which affected medical benefits to some blind
individuals.

Part of this program provided medical payments to legally blind citizens who
would not otherwise qualify for Medicaid because they have too large an
annual

income to qualify for Medicaid.

This does not affect blind individuals who otherwise qualify financially for
Medicaid or who qualify for other medical care assistance. This cut also
does

not affect the monthly cash benefit paid to blind citizens, age 18 or older,
from the Blind Pension Fund or any of the many other programs the state
provides

for the benefit of its blind citizens.

A list of all aid programs available to the blind 

can be found here.

http://dss.mo.gov/fsd/rsb/

Each member of the House Appropriations Committee on Health, Mental Health
and Social Services was asked prior to the commencement of the committee
deliberations

to present the committee chairman with a list of programs which the member
would request be prioritized.

Once this recommendation reaches the Budget Committee, all increases and
decreases will be open to debate among the committee members.

The State Medical program will be re-evaluated to determine whether it is a
goal of the state of Missouri to cover medical costs for all blind Missouri

citizens regardless of the level of their income.

Perhaps some of the cost savings from means testing can be used to provide
greater benefits to blind Missouri citizens who truly need more help. We
believe

there may be some federal programs that blind citizens may be eligible for
to help ease this elimination.

____________________________________________________________________________
_

Denny Huff- President

Missouri Council of the Blind

P: (636) 262-1383

TF: (888) 362-1383

F: (314) 558-0298

Phone Cast: (816) 298-8969

DHuff at MoBlind.Org

www.moblind.org

The purpose of Missouri Council of the Blind shall be to promote the general
well-being of our members and legally blind people in Missouri, and to
support

or participate in other programs promoting the best interests of legally
blind people everywhere.

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE JOURNEY

Your host: Denny Huff

Listen live,

SUNDAY MORNINGS AT 8:00 AM CST

WWW.KLPW.COM

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