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The State of Ohio

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Possible cuts and changes worry benefit program recipients and local job and family services workers. Studio guest is John Honeck, who heads the ODJFS director's association.

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00:00:38	Possible cuts and changes.
00:00:41	Worry benefit program
00:00:41	recipients and local job
00:00:45	and family services workers.
00:00:47	That's this week
00:00:47	in the state of Ohio.
00:01:08	Welcome to the state of Ohio.
00:01:10	I'm Jo Ingles.
00:01:12	The Ohio Attorney General's
00:01:12	office reports there were more
00:01:16	than 21,000 missing persons
00:01:16	cases last year.
00:01:20	That includes more than 16,000
00:01:20	missing children.
00:01:24	And while more than 96%
00:01:24	of those missing kids
00:01:27	were found safe,
00:01:29	the number of children
00:01:29	who have not been located
00:01:32	in recent years
00:01:32	continues to grow.
00:01:35	A working group
00:01:35	made up of law enforcement
00:01:37	leaders, legislative
00:01:37	representatives
00:01:40	and families of missing
00:01:40	persons has been looking into
00:01:43	what could make investigations
00:01:43	more effective.
00:01:47	And now, Governor
00:01:47	Mike DeWine said
00:01:49	the group has come up with
00:01:49	a list of 18 recommendations
00:01:52	that range from administrative
00:01:52	changes to new laws.
00:01:56	issuing the working group's
00:01:56	final report contains 18
00:02:00	specific recommendations
00:02:02	covering better information
00:02:02	sharing
00:02:04	between law enforcement
00:02:04	agencies,
00:02:06	improve communication between
00:02:06	investigators and families,
00:02:10	increased
00:02:10	training and public education,
00:02:12	and comprehensive support
00:02:12	for youth who,
00:02:14	for a variety of reasons,
00:02:14	consistently leave their homes
00:02:18	or leave their congregate care
00:02:18	settings.
00:02:22	DeWine said some of the
00:02:22	changes can happen immediately
00:02:25	or soon.
00:02:26	Like those requiring better
00:02:26	reporting and resources
00:02:29	for law enforcement
00:02:29	and the communications between
00:02:33	police and families
00:02:33	of missing persons.
00:02:36	Ohio lawmakers say they're
00:02:36	closer to making long debated
00:02:40	changes to cannabis laws
00:02:40	before they break for summer.
00:02:45	The newest version
00:02:46	of the bill, modifying state
00:02:46	marijuana laws, still
00:02:50	puts limits on how potent
00:02:50	THC products can be.
00:02:54	But the latest
00:02:54	round of amendments permits
00:02:57	sharing some products
00:02:57	at a person's home.
00:03:00	And although it limits Ohioans
00:03:02	to partaking at private homes,
00:03:02	the public smoking ban
00:03:06	now has one notable exception
00:03:06	certain outdoor concerts.
00:03:11	I do a lot of live music.
00:03:13	I go to
00:03:13	a lot of concert venues and,
00:03:18	hypothetically, I've seen
00:03:19	people, pass a marijuana,
00:03:19	cigaret at a concert.
00:03:25	And,
00:03:25	those people are not criminals
00:03:27	and shouldn't
00:03:27	be considered criminals.
00:03:29	And so that, to me,
00:03:29	was a huge thing.
00:03:32	If you go to a Grateful Dead
00:03:32	concert, you shouldn't have
00:03:35	to look over your shoulder
00:03:35	when you're passing a joint.
00:03:39	Legislative leaders
00:03:39	say they want the bill
00:03:41	to advance before June 30th.
00:03:44	Rural school district leaders
00:03:44	gathered at the statehouse
00:03:48	Wednesday
00:03:48	to let lawmakers know
00:03:50	how the current proposed
00:03:50	state budget will affect them.
00:03:54	Marietta elementary physics
00:03:54	teacher Alex Myers
00:03:58	says the current version
00:03:58	of the budget
00:04:00	provides his district
00:04:02	with a little more than it had
00:04:02	last year, but not what
00:04:05	it would gotten under
00:04:05	the Fair School funding plan.
00:04:09	That was in the last
00:04:09	two year budget.
00:04:11	And he fears
00:04:12	that will mean cuts in support
00:04:12	staff and programs.
00:04:16	He said it's important
00:04:16	to remember districts like his
00:04:19	cannot rely on local funds
00:04:19	to pick up the slack,
00:04:23	in smaller and rural towns.
00:04:25	We just can't pass levies.
00:04:25	We don't have enough people.
00:04:27	We don't have enough support
00:04:27	for that
00:04:29	because they're already
00:04:29	struggling.
00:04:30	We are a very low income,
00:04:32	so asking them for even
00:04:32	more money is very difficult.
00:04:35	John Patterson is a former
00:04:35	Ohio House member
00:04:39	and the author of the Fair
00:04:39	School Funding Plan.
00:04:42	He said
00:04:42	lawmakers should be using
00:04:42	that formula in this budget.
00:04:46	Knowing that.
00:04:47	Scalable,
00:04:47	knowing that it's transparent,
00:04:50	everything's justifiable.
00:04:52	There's not a better plan
00:04:52	out there.
00:04:54	And it was developed
00:04:54	by the professionals.
00:04:56	It's a matter of will.
00:04:58	Do we want to do
00:04:58	what's right for our children
00:05:01	and our children's future?
00:05:03	And I'm hoping that events
00:05:03	like this will help move
00:05:07	the legislature to understand
00:05:07	how critical this is
00:05:10	for all of Ohio's kids.
00:05:12	Ohio House Speaker Matt
00:05:12	Huffman says restoring funding
00:05:16	to the fair school funding
00:05:16	plan is highly unlikely.
00:05:19	In this budget.
00:05:21	the bottom line was
00:05:21	that the if, if we had done
00:05:26	what some call
00:05:26	the third phase,
00:05:28	it would have been a $1.8
00:05:28	billion increase in school
00:05:32	funding, which,
00:05:32	you know, pretty much
00:05:34	would have wiped
00:05:34	out other increases. We did,
00:05:38	you know,
00:05:38	daycare or a
00:05:38	whole number of other things.
00:05:42	The Senate is expected
00:05:42	to come out
00:05:44	with budget amendments
00:05:44	this upcoming week.
00:05:47	More than 100 pastors
00:05:47	and religious leaders
00:05:50	throughout Ohio have signed on
00:05:50	to a letter urging lawmakers
00:05:54	to say no dice to expand
00:05:54	a gambling.
00:05:58	Among
00:05:58	the group is Representative
00:06:00	Gary Klick,
00:06:00	who is also a pastor.
00:06:03	The Republican said he won't
00:06:03	vote for a bill that expands
00:06:07	gambling through internet
00:06:07	based
00:06:08	casino games, horse
00:06:08	races and online lottery.
00:06:12	Click and the other
00:06:12	religious leaders
00:06:14	say gambling
00:06:14	disproportionately hurts
00:06:17	Ohio's most vulnerable
00:06:17	citizens.
00:06:21	It's going to hurt
00:06:21	their families.
00:06:23	It's going to destroy
00:06:23	their homes.
00:06:25	It's going to destroy lives.
00:06:27	I can't think of a just
00:06:27	or noble reason to do that.
00:06:32	The bill's sponsor, state
00:06:32	senator Republican Nathan
00:06:35	Manning, says estimates show
00:06:35	Ohioans may be spending
00:06:39	more than $2 billion a year
00:06:39	gambling on illegal websites.
00:06:45	He says providing
00:06:46	a legal outlet
00:06:46	for that gambling
00:06:49	would allow the state
00:06:49	to put safeguards around it.
00:06:52	Ohio legislators are again
00:06:52	considering identical bills
00:06:57	banning, quote,
00:06:58	foreign adversaries
00:06:58	from buying real property
00:07:02	in a wide swath of protected
00:07:02	areas.
00:07:05	That property purchase ban
00:07:05	extends to both non-citizens,
00:07:09	like lawful permanent
00:07:09	residents and businesses
00:07:13	hailing from countries
00:07:13	Ohio defines as adversarial.
00:07:17	Under the bills, protected
00:07:17	property includes anything
00:07:21	within a 25 mile
00:07:21	radius of military facilities
00:07:25	or critical infrastructure,
00:07:25	from water
00:07:29	treatment facilities
00:07:29	to railroads
00:07:31	to electric generation
00:07:31	facilities.
00:07:34	And right now, Ohio lists
00:07:34	six countries as foreign
00:07:37	adversaries,
00:07:37	namely China and Russia.
00:07:41	Republican backers say
00:07:42	the bill comes from concerns
00:07:42	about national security.
00:07:46	I think there's logic to it.
00:07:48	I think that,
00:07:48	there is an issue with,
00:07:52	unfair trade practices
00:07:52	between Ohio and China.
00:07:56	Certainly
00:07:56	the United States and China.
00:07:57	But, Democrats say in practice
00:08:00	they could prevent immigrants
00:08:00	from owning a home or
00:08:03	running a business.
00:08:05	I want to reiterate this bill
00:08:07	betrays a fundamental values
00:08:08	that we claim to care about
00:08:08	in the statehouse.
00:08:11	It betrays
00:08:11	that we say we care about.
00:08:11	the constitutional values
00:08:16	And not only is this
00:08:16	bill discriminatory,
00:08:18	like my colleagues
00:08:18	and the distinguished speakers
00:08:20	before me have mentioned,
00:08:21	but it also has a potential,
00:08:21	the great potential
00:08:24	to impact our economy
00:08:24	and our higher education.
00:08:27	In 2023, governor
00:08:27	Mike DeWine vetoed these
00:08:30	measures in the budget.
00:08:32	Although he did
00:08:32	sign off on similar language
00:08:35	banning adversaries
00:08:35	from buying farmland.
00:08:39	Medicaid has been a big part
00:08:39	of the budget discussion
00:08:42	at the state
00:08:42	and federal levels.
00:08:44	The state budget
00:08:44	includes language
00:08:46	that could cut that health
00:08:46	care coverage for around
00:08:49	764,000 people on Medicaid
00:08:49	expansion in Ohio,
00:08:54	if the federal match drops
00:08:54	below 90%
00:08:57	and there are new reporting
00:08:57	requirements for Medicaid,
00:09:00	as well as the Supplemental
00:09:00	Nutrition Assistance
00:09:03	Program or Snap,
00:09:03	also called food stamps.
00:09:07	All of this puts pressure
00:09:07	on the people who work
00:09:10	in the state's 88 county Job
00:09:10	and Family Services offices.
00:09:14	My Statehouse News
00:09:14	Bureau colleague Karen Kasler
00:09:18	talked with John Harnick,
00:09:20	who leads the organization
00:09:20	that represents those workers.
00:09:23	let's start with work
00:09:23	requirements.
00:09:26	We've heard the arguments for
00:09:26	and against work requirements
00:09:28	since we've been here before.
00:09:30	When it comes to people
00:09:30	who are receiving Medicaid,
00:09:32	it seems likely
00:09:34	this time, though,
00:09:34	that those work requirements,
00:09:36	that waiver
00:09:36	is going to be approved.
00:09:37	So what would instituting work
00:09:37	requirements mean for
00:09:41	the people who work at Ohio's
00:09:43	Ada County job
00:09:43	and family services agencies?
00:09:46	Well, Karen,
00:09:46	I appreciate the question.
00:09:48	It does seem like the waiver
00:09:48	would get approved or
00:09:52	there's been some, discussion
00:09:52	at the federal level.
00:09:56	The recent markup
00:09:56	of the reconciliation bill.
00:09:59	Worker requirements
00:09:59	have been, a part of that.
00:10:02	And there's a ways to go
00:10:02	in that federal process.
00:10:04	But one way or another,
00:10:06	Ohio's probably going to get
00:10:06	Medicaid work requirements.
00:10:10	So for our folks,
00:10:10	our folks are the frontline
00:10:13	eligibility
00:10:13	workers at the county.
00:10:16	About 3000 workers
00:10:16	across the state.
00:10:19	So they're checking on
00:10:19	the income levels of the folks
00:10:24	who apply
00:10:24	and what's their household
00:10:26	status and their residency
00:10:26	and all sorts of information,
00:10:31	some of which can be provided
00:10:33	through various
00:10:33	electronic databases.
00:10:35	But a lot of it
00:10:36	we've got to ask the client
00:10:36	directly for the most up
00:10:40	to date information.
00:10:41	So there would be
00:10:41	some administrative work,
00:10:44	involved, certainly with,
00:10:44	with a work requirement.
00:10:47	You know,
00:10:47	we might have to hire
00:10:50	additional county workers
00:10:50	to, to kind of take
00:10:54	a look into that and deal
00:10:54	with, the additional work.
00:10:58	The other concern, Karen, is
00:10:58	I think,
00:11:02	the majority of the folks
00:11:02	who are on Medicaid,
00:11:04	especially in that expansion
00:11:04	population, they are working,
00:11:08	those who are not often
00:11:08	have a barrier to employment.
00:11:12	They've got mental
00:11:12	health issues.
00:11:14	They've got substance
00:11:14	abuse issues.
00:11:16	They may be in a caregiving
00:11:16	role for another individual.
00:11:20	Now, some of those individuals
00:11:20	and the way
00:11:23	the waiver has been set up
00:11:23	will be exempt.
00:11:26	But we want to make sure
00:11:26	also that we have the,
00:11:30	the resources to help people,
00:11:30	get back to work
00:11:35	and stay in a employment
00:11:35	position.
00:11:38	If they're having trouble.
00:11:39	And a lot of them are
00:11:39	they are having trouble,
00:11:42	you know,
00:11:42	keeping work or finding work.
00:11:45	And I think that's
00:11:45	where we need
00:11:47	additional discussions
00:11:47	at the state level about
00:11:49	what are we doing in
00:11:50	terms of workforce programs
00:11:50	to make sure these people
00:11:53	are getting
00:11:53	the help that they need?
00:11:54	And that's not the only thing
00:11:54	that potentially the people
00:11:57	who work on the front lines,
00:11:57	as you put it,
00:11:59	would have to be dealing
00:11:59	with in terms of changes
00:12:01	to eligibility requirements
00:12:01	and that sort of thing.
00:12:04	There is a proposal
00:12:04	in the budget
00:12:06	that would require eligibility
00:12:06	for Medicaid and food
00:12:09	stamps, or the Supplemental
00:12:09	Nutrition Assistance Program.
00:12:12	Every right
00:12:12	now, it's every six months.
00:12:14	Yes. That would make it
00:12:14	quarterly and require the use
00:12:18	of third party data systems
00:12:18	to try to help with that.
00:12:22	Does that would those third
00:12:24	party systems help with that
00:12:24	or what would be changing
00:12:27	the requirement
00:12:27	from every six months
00:12:28	to every quarter,
00:12:28	I mean, for your folks.
00:12:31	So, Karen, it's interesting,
00:12:33	we've got these
00:12:33	parallel discussions
00:12:34	going on at the state level.
00:12:34	And the federal level.
00:12:37	So there's actually
00:12:38	two provisions in the budget
00:12:38	that we're watching now.
00:12:41	So on the on the snap side,
00:12:41	on the food assistance side,
00:12:46	there's a provision
00:12:46	that would,
00:12:47	take us from the current
00:12:47	kind of six month
00:12:51	check in with folks
00:12:53	that we use now basically
00:12:53	to monthly reporting,
00:12:57	which is something that
00:12:57	the state of Ohio has not used
00:13:00	basically in a couple decades,
00:13:00	basically
00:13:03	because of the administrative
00:13:03	burden involved.
00:13:06	That would
00:13:07	involved mailing out forms
00:13:07	to any household that's,
00:13:11	non elderly household
00:13:11	that's receiving snap,
00:13:14	having them fill things out,
00:13:14	report back to us,
00:13:18	even if there hasn't
00:13:18	been a change
00:13:19	in their income or,
00:13:19	or their status.
00:13:22	And the administrative costs
00:13:22	of that would be tremendous.
00:13:26	We'd actually
00:13:27	we'd actually like to see that
00:13:27	come out of the budget.
00:13:29	I mean, we're talking about
00:13:30	millions of people here
00:13:30	that, are receiving
00:13:33	food stamps right
00:13:33	now. Correct.
00:13:35	And so and
00:13:37	as we look at the population
00:13:37	receiving food stamps in Ohio,
00:13:41	we think there be over
00:13:41	400,000 households
00:13:44	that are affected
00:13:44	by this change.
00:13:46	And obviously
00:13:48	more than one individual
00:13:48	in most of those households.
00:13:51	So we're we think to implement
00:13:51	this change,
00:13:54	it would be over
00:13:54	$60 million total cost.
00:13:57	About half of that would fall
00:13:57	on to the under the state.
00:14:00	But there's nothing
00:14:00	in the budget
00:14:01	to actually pay for that.
00:14:03	So that that was put in the
00:14:03	House version of the budget.
00:14:08	We are asking the Senate
00:14:08	basically to to remove that
00:14:11	because it, it
00:14:11	not only prevents us doing the
00:14:14	the simplified six month
00:14:14	reporting
00:14:16	we have now, but even,
00:14:16	even a quarterly reporting,
00:14:20	we could not do.
00:14:22	So that's on the snap side.
00:14:23	On the Medicaid side,
00:14:23	there's another provision,
00:14:26	as you alluded
00:14:26	to, that, would would require
00:14:30	quarterly check ins.
00:14:32	With the folks
00:14:34	who are on Medicaid
00:14:34	instead of the annual.
00:14:37	So as it stands right now,
00:14:37	we believe that
00:14:40	probably will not fly
00:14:40	under federal law.
00:14:43	Now, things could change
00:14:43	at the federal level, to,
00:14:47	to make that more palatable
00:14:47	or make that allowable.
00:14:52	And, and
00:14:52	the language
00:14:52	also says to use, we,
00:14:56	you know, we need to use third
00:14:56	party databases.
00:14:58	And to be clear
00:14:58	with your viewers, county,
00:15:02	eligibility
00:15:02	worker job and families
00:15:04	workers,
00:15:04	we already have access
00:15:06	to a number
00:15:06	of electronic databases.
00:15:09	So, you know,
00:15:09	we can check on on income.
00:15:14	We know
00:15:14	we can check on residency.
00:15:18	We can check and see
00:15:18	if someone, may have been
00:15:21	receiving, Medicaid
00:15:21	in another state.
00:15:24	We get alerts for that.
00:15:26	So it's it's not clear,
00:15:29	what additional, resources
00:15:34	or electronic resources
00:15:34	were supposed to be using.
00:15:36	So I think that that provision
00:15:38	is something
00:15:38	we've kind of flagged
00:15:40	for the legislators and say,
00:15:40	hey, you know,
00:15:43	you want to take another
00:15:43	look at this
00:15:45	and don't put us down
00:15:45	the road where the state is.
00:15:49	You know, maybe purchasing
00:15:51	additional IT resources
00:15:51	that we don't have to have.
00:15:54	And, and let's take a look
00:15:54	at that, that cadence.
00:15:57	And I should also note again
00:15:57	in the budget,
00:16:00	the federal budget
00:16:00	reconciliation process,
00:16:03	they were now suggesting a six
00:16:03	month,
00:16:06	cadence of checking in
00:16:06	with Medicaid households,
00:16:10	which would make it similar
00:16:10	to what
00:16:11	we're doing
00:16:11	currently with Snap.
00:16:13	So a lot going on here.
00:16:15	We just want to make sure,
00:16:15	you know,
00:16:18	our workers are doing
00:16:18	the frontline eligibility.
00:16:21	We want to make sure that the
00:16:21	the burdens
00:16:24	we're putting on
00:16:24	the clients makes sense.
00:16:27	And and we've got
00:16:27	the administrative resources
00:16:30	to do what
00:16:30	the state is asking us to do.
00:16:32	Would it save the state money,
00:16:32	though,
00:16:34	if you're catching people
00:16:34	who are ineligible
00:16:38	every quarter or monthly
00:16:38	rather than six months?
00:16:41	I mean, that seems to be
00:16:41	the overriding goal here.
00:16:44	Do you think there would be
00:16:44	cost savings?
00:16:47	We think there would be.
00:16:49	You know, very,
00:16:49	very minimal cost savings.
00:16:51	We feel like,
00:16:52	you know, on the snap side
00:16:52	where
00:16:54	we're checking in with folks
00:16:54	every six months.
00:16:57	The clients
00:16:57	also have a requirement to
00:17:01	come back to us,
00:17:03	if there's been a major change
00:17:03	in circumstance
00:17:05	that affects
00:17:05	their eligibility,
00:17:07	they're told that upfront.
00:17:08	And, we're receiving alerts
00:17:08	through the various third
00:17:12	party databases.
00:17:13	If they don't report in there
00:17:13	happens to be an overpayment,
00:17:17	then, you know,
00:17:18	we will go back and collect
00:17:18	that overpayment.
00:17:20	And and they will possibly,
00:17:20	be excluded from the program
00:17:25	or become ineligible
00:17:25	for the program.
00:17:27	And they're told that upfront.
00:17:29	any of these administrative
00:17:29	So it's, you know, an entity,
00:17:32	situations, it's
00:17:32	a matter of balancing
00:17:34	the resources with, you know,
00:17:34	how often do you need
00:17:38	to check in with a client?
00:17:39	We think the current state
00:17:39	of affairs works pretty well.
00:17:42	It's been working
00:17:42	for the state.
00:17:44	So we like to to keep that.
00:17:46	There's another provision
00:17:46	in the budget
00:17:48	that would trigger
00:17:48	the end of Medicaid expansion
00:17:51	for about 764,000 Ohioans
00:17:51	as of this month's count,
00:17:55	if the federal match
00:17:55	for Medicaid
00:17:56	expansion drops below 90%,
00:17:58	Maureen Corcoran,
00:17:58	who's the Medicaid
00:18:00	director, told me on this show
00:18:00	earlier this year
00:18:03	that talks are still going
00:18:03	on, that
00:18:05	even if this does happen,
00:18:07	that the trigger language
00:18:07	stays in
00:18:08	and the federal match drops,
00:18:08	it wouldn't happen overnight.
00:18:11	People wouldn't
00:18:12	just all of a sudden
00:18:12	lose their Medicaid coverage.
00:18:15	What are your concerns
00:18:15	about this language?
00:18:18	Well, you know,
00:18:19	we are concerned about it
00:18:19	because we do see that,
00:18:22	you know, for that population
00:18:22	that that needs Medicaid
00:18:25	generally,
00:18:25	there's no other available
00:18:28	health insurance
00:18:28	from the private sector.
00:18:31	And going on to the exchange,
00:18:31	the federal
00:18:34	marketplace is often
00:18:34	very, very expensive.
00:18:37	And some of
00:18:37	the additional subsidies
00:18:39	that have been available
00:18:39	there are being rolled back.
00:18:42	So they often don't have
00:18:42	another option.
00:18:45	Basically
00:18:45	for health insurance.
00:18:47	You know,
00:18:49	in the end, the
00:18:50	legislature will decide, you
00:18:50	know, whatever it wants to do.
00:18:54	You know, I know this
00:18:54	this has been a controversy
00:18:54	for for many, many years.
00:18:59	Again,
00:18:59	we just hope that legislators
00:19:02	understand that there's
00:19:03	for many of these folks,
00:19:03	there's no plan B.
00:19:06	I think through
00:19:06	a lot of these discussions
00:19:08	about changing Medicaid, Snap,
00:19:08	these other programs,
00:19:12	there's
00:19:12	this prevailing narrative
00:19:14	that there's waste, fraud
00:19:14	and abuse in these programs.
00:19:16	And this is making
00:19:16	these changes
00:19:18	is the way to really get
00:19:18	at that and find out
00:19:21	where the problems are
00:19:21	and save the state money.
00:19:24	Is there waste, fraud
00:19:24	and abuse in these programs?
00:19:28	Look in any in any program
00:19:28	benefit program,
00:19:31	there's going to be,
00:19:31	you know, a very few number
00:19:31	of people who abuse it,
00:19:35	who maybe aren't
00:19:35	reporting, information
00:19:38	timely as they should.
00:19:40	Our, our biggest issue
00:19:40	on the, on the snap
00:19:44	side is actually not anything
00:19:44	that the clients are doing.
00:19:48	It's actually,
00:19:48	criminal enterprises who are
00:19:54	skimming, information off
00:19:54	of a, off of the snap card.
00:19:58	So in the old days,
00:19:58	we call it food stamps, right?
00:20:01	So that doesn't exist anymore.
00:20:02	What we have now
00:20:02	is an electronic benefit card.
00:20:05	And, you know, for years,
00:20:05	in the private sector or
00:20:11	gas stations,
00:20:11	folks would put in a skimmer
00:20:15	and get the numbers off
00:20:15	a card.
00:20:17	Well, the snap cards right now
00:20:17	don't have a chip in them.
00:20:22	The private sector went to,
00:20:22	you know, chips years ago
00:20:25	because there's so much harder
00:20:27	to, you know, for criminals to
00:20:29	kind of crack their code and,
00:20:29	and so what we've been seeing
00:20:32	in recent years is an increase
00:20:32	of that sort of thing,
00:20:36	where, you know, the skimming
00:20:38	takes place and the, you
00:20:38	know, criminals will take the,
00:20:42	the information off the card
00:20:42	and use it at some bodega
00:20:45	in New York or Chicago or what
00:20:45	have you.
00:20:47	That's our biggest issue
00:20:47	with fraud.
00:20:49	And so,
00:20:49	there's proposals out there,
00:20:53	basically to move the system
00:20:53	to a chip card.
00:20:57	We are hoping that
00:20:58	the federal government
00:20:58	would do that.
00:21:00	So far, that hasn't happened.
00:21:02	It would cost the state
00:21:02	of Ohio about $5 million,
00:21:05	and there would be
00:21:06	some federal match to that
00:21:06	to move to a chip card system.
00:21:10	And I think that's the
00:21:10	if you wanted one single
00:21:14	best thing
00:21:14	we could do right now
00:21:16	to stop fraud in the Snap
00:21:16	program, that would be it.
00:21:18	Move to a chip card
00:21:20	and see how
00:21:20	that gets implemented,
00:21:22	because I think that would go
00:21:22	a long way.
00:21:24	And finally, another narrative
00:21:24	that I think a lot of people
00:21:27	hear in this conversation
00:21:27	is that,
00:21:30	people who are receiving
00:21:30	these benefits
00:21:32	need to be working.
00:21:33	They need to be striving
00:21:33	to get off these benefits.
00:21:38	The people that you represent,
00:21:38	the people
00:21:40	who are working in
00:21:40	these county offices,
00:21:42	is that a fair narrative from
00:21:42	what you've heard from them?
00:21:45	Well, as I said, Karen, the,
00:21:47	you know,
00:21:47	the majority of folks
00:21:49	in that Medicaid expansion
00:21:49	population are working,
00:21:53	there actually has been
00:21:53	for many years
00:21:55	a work requirement
00:21:55	on the snap side for so-called
00:21:59	able bodied adults
00:21:59	without dependents.
00:22:02	And that's been in the law
00:22:02	for quite some time.
00:22:05	They have a work requirement.
00:22:07	They can only receive, food
00:22:07	assistance for three months
00:22:11	out of a 36 month period,
00:22:13	unless they can
00:22:13	prove that they are working.
00:22:16	And again,
00:22:16	what our folks are seeing
00:22:17	is that's a population
00:22:17	that often has,
00:22:21	you know, they're very
00:22:21	they're very transient.
00:22:25	They've often got barriers
00:22:25	to employment,
00:22:28	whether that's again, mental
00:22:29	health, substance abuse
00:22:29	issues, transportation issues.
00:22:33	They may be caregivers.
00:22:35	So we just want to be sure,
00:22:38	you know, we don't disagree
00:22:38	with that premise that, folks
00:22:41	who can be working, you know,
00:22:41	they should be working.
00:22:46	We want to be in a position
00:22:46	to help them
00:22:48	and give them the resources
00:22:48	they need to make sure that,
00:22:51	you know,
00:22:51	they can find the job,
00:22:51	keep a job,
00:22:53	and that that's what
00:22:53	we'd like to do at the county
00:22:56	level is really take people,
00:22:56	you know, who need help,
00:23:01	get them a job,
00:23:01	help them work up the ladder,
00:23:04	you know, and,
00:23:05	and we've got some programs,
00:23:05	you know, to do that.
00:23:08	And, you know, we'd like
00:23:08	to see those better funded.
00:23:11	Are your workers
00:23:11	at the county level
00:23:14	overworked, stressed out.
00:23:17	What's the workload
00:23:17	like for those folks?
00:23:19	Well, I'm glad you asked
00:23:19	because we're basically trying
00:23:22	to run the system on on a lot
00:23:24	fewer resources than we had
00:23:24	maybe 15, 20 years ago.
00:23:28	The resources
00:23:28	for the administration of job
00:23:32	and family services were cut
00:23:32	back in the 0809 recession.
00:23:35	They've never recovered.
00:23:36	So a lot of our agencies
00:23:36	have open positions
00:23:40	that they can't fill
00:23:40	because of budget constraints.
00:23:43	And so, yeah,
00:23:43	we've got a lot of agencies
00:23:46	that are kind of stretched
00:23:46	to their limit.
00:23:49	They're really pushing
00:23:49	their staff with overtime
00:23:52	and other means to keep up
00:23:52	with all the folks calling in
00:23:56	to, you know, to get benefits.
00:23:57	And, we'd like to get back
00:23:57	to doing more hands on,
00:24:02	case management work again,
00:24:02	where we can really help
00:24:05	people and,
00:24:05	and kind of move Ohioans up
00:24:09	that economic ladder.
00:24:10	But we need some more
00:24:10	resources to do that.
00:24:13	Well, that's it for this week.
00:24:14	For my colleagues
00:24:15	at the Statehouse News
00:24:15	Bureau of Ohio Public Media.
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Note : Transcripts are compiled from uncorrected captions