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Statement from Kentucky Youth Advocates on Final Passage of Senate Bill 65

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Senate Bill 65 in its final form took a much needed and long-awaited rate increase for dental providers and left it steeped in ambiguity. It rips newly added access to critical dental services for some 900,000 vulnerable Kentuckians. And it will ensure that the Commonwealth continues to languish as one of the top five worst states for oral health in [...]

By |2023-03-16T16:43:02-04:00March 16th, 2023|Health, Medicaid, News Room|

Medicaid and KCHIP Continuous Enrollment Ending Soon

As we welcome Spring and warmer weather, we also see the end of a Public Health Emergency (PHE) declared in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This declaration brought with it several changes to public benefit programs – including Medicaid and the Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program (KCHIP).   One of the biggest changes for those with Medicaid and CHIP coverage was continuous enrollment – this means that for more than 3 years, individuals have [...]

By |2023-03-01T14:13:39-05:00March 1st, 2023|Blog, Health, Medicaid|

Wins for Kids in the New Federal Omnibus Budget

While kids across Kentucky were waiting for Santa to deliver gifts, Congress delivered a major win for kids and families through the omnibus federal budget for fiscal year 2023. From addressing summer hunger and child care affordability to expanding access to programs such as home visiting, this budget makes some major investments in Kentucky kids and families: Addresses summer hunger by creating a permanent Summer EBT program and loosens the congregate feeding requirements for meals [...]

A Look at the New Benefits Cliff Task Force

For many people, receiving a raise, promotion, or new job opportunity is something to celebrate. However, for families utilizing public benefits, a raise in wages can often be met with anxiety around what that raise will mean for their benefits and overall ability to provide for their families.  The benefits cliff refers to the sudden decrease in public benefits that often occurs when recipients get a small increase in earnings. This cliff has consistently been [...]

By |2022-07-21T12:48:43-04:00July 21st, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Economic Security, Medicaid|

Statement on Passage of HB 7 by KY House

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director, Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – The Kentucky House has a track record that clearly values family stability and protecting children from maltreatment. Yet, on the same day as passing critical legislation that will positively impact children across the child welfare continuum, House members ensured passage of House Bill 7 that threatens efforts to improve child safety and well-being. As we’ve previously shared, there [...]

Statement on House Bill 7 to Implement Public Assistance Reforms

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director, Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – As is the case in most omnibus pieces of legislation, House Bill 7 is a mixed bag. There are good elements for Kentucky kids, and there are also elements that are truly problematic for Kentucky families. Safety net programs, including Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, [...]

Statement on the Governor and the House State Budget Proposals

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – In Kentucky, we are used to arguing about dollars and cents in budgets that are restrictive, limited, and far too scarce – and that is tough work. This year, we are learning that arguing about dollars and cents in a budget that has unprecedented one-time federal dollars is also tough work. The needs of Kentucky’s kids simply [...]

2022 State Budget Checklist for Kentucky Kids

It’s week two of Kentucky’s 60-day legislative session! The end of week 1 unveiled a budget proposed by the Kentucky House of Representatives, which signals the fast-track nature of the 2022 budget process. This week, the Governor outlined his budget proposals for pre-K-12 education and health care.  As the week continues, we will hear the remaining components of the Governor’s budget proposal during his budget address on Thursday, January 13 at 7:00 PM ET, as [...]

November 2021 Update on the KY Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity

Read about the October meeting of the Commission on Race and Opportunity here.  At the last meeting of 2021 for the Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity, Kentucky Youth Advocates (KYA) was given the opportunity to testify around the 2021 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book and solutions to advance racial equity in the Commonwealth. We highlighted two policy arenas – Health and Family and Community - that we hope can move legislative and community leaders from simply reading data on a [...]

By |2021-12-09T15:52:21-05:00December 9th, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Health, Medicaid, Race Equity, Youth Justice|

2021 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Look at Data Trends and Solutions to Advance Racial Equity in the Commonwealth

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 2021 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Look at Data Trends and Solutions to Advance Racial Equity in the Commonwealth Featuring the latest county-level data for key measures of child well-being Louisville, KY – Kentucky will be strongest when all children have their best chance to thrive. The 2021 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book examines data disaggregated by race/ethnicity, the impacts of systemic racial injustice on children and families, [...]

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