Missouri Department of Social Services

The Children’s Division is almost fully staffed now — a “remarkable turnaround” from the hundreds of vacancies it had in recent years. The backlog is now down 80% since earlier this year.

Foster kids are being housed in hospitals, people are waiting for months in jail to be transferred to psychiatric facilities, daycares are struggling to remain open and low-income kids are losing Medicaid.

Missouri has removed roughly 136,000 kids from its Medicaid rolls since June 2023. But the state's worst-in-nation processing delays make it difficult to re-enroll — causing many to miss doctor’s appointments and critical prescriptions.

The number of foster kids in custody of the State of Missouri has dwindled to just below 12,000 as of last month, compared to more than 14,000 in 2021.

Missouri officials told the federal government the reason for the delays is that several social services programs are competing for limited resources.

The Missouri Department of Social Services’ call center issues ultimately denied eligible Missourians meaningful access to benefits, a judge found.

On Jan. 1, those 18 and under who enroll in Missouri's insurance programs for low-income people will not be removed for 12 months.

State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick says a review of the Children’s Division, which has struggled for years to recruit and retain staff, may not happen right away because of staff constraints in his own office.

Officials say tackling St. Louis and St. Louis County’s more than 6,000 abuse and neglect cases will require hiring more investigators.

Only 16 investigators are looking into child abuse and neglect claims in St. Louis and St. Louis County. The head of the Missouri Children’s Division says that number should be closer to 60.