dhhs
Posted inMaine, sj-web
DHHS reports 174 welfare fraud convictions worth $1.7 million in 2016
AUGUSTA — Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s administration has amped up investigations of Maine’s welfare recipients, although the number of cases prosecuted remains essentially the same. The state Department of Health and Human Services said in a press release Thursday that it referred 174 criminal cases for prosecution last year and uncovered more than $1.7 million […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage drops drug testing for welfare recipients
AUGUSTA — Maine’s tough-on-welfare governor wants to end the department’s current drug-testing policy in favor of something even harsher: banning food stamps and cash assistance for anyone convicted of a drug felony in the past two decades. Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s office says he wants to bag the department’s current drug-testing policy for those convicted of […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine DHHS asks feds to OK Medicaid changes
The LePage administration has sent a letter outlining changes to Maine’s Medicaid program that they want green-lit by President Donald Trump. The impact of all of these proposed changes is unclear, but they include premiums and other changes that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services said in a news release will be sent to the Trump administration […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
AG Janet Mills says a new psych unit needs legislative approval
PORTLAND — Gov. Paul LePage’s administration needs legislative approval to build a secure, privately run facility for patients in state custody with mental illness who no longer need hospital care, the state attorney general said. Democratic Attorney General Janet Mills sent a letter to the Republican governor’s administration Tuesday. The legislature’s appropriations committee discussed the letter […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Soda tops list of food stamp purchases, estimated $13 million a year in Maine
AUGUSTA — A new report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is revealing the items purchased by a typical family on food stamps. The report reveals the number one item bought by families on food stamps is soda; in Maine—that adds up to an estimated more than $13 million a year spent on soft […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine loses $1.4 million for plan to convert to WIC photo IDs
Maine has had to forfeit $1.4 million because it fell behind on its timeline to bring a nutrition program for women and young children into a paperless age. Now, Gov. Paul LePage’s administration says it has “no plan” to upgrade the program’s technology even though the state has to under federal law. The delay is […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
DHHS workers get layoff notices
AUGUSTA — A state employees union representative said ’s administration has notified workers in the Maine Office of Aging and Disability Services that it wants to lay them off, likely signaling a priority in the governor’s two-year budget to be released on Friday. It’s just an initial move from the Maine Department of Health and […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine DHHS to create new slots for addiction treatment
AUGUSTA (AP) — The state Department of Health and Human Services has announced it will expand access to medication-assisted addiction treatment by creating 359 new slots with a program scheduled to start next month. The Portland Press Herald reported (http://bit.ly/2hP4Xu6 ) the department said Monday its study showed that about 300 to 450 people in […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine’s push to boost peer recovery centers draws concern
AUGUSTA — Supervisors of state recovery centers say they’re worried about the timing and direction of Maine’s plan to establish peer-run recovery centers statewide. The idea is for people who have faced challenges like substance abuse or mental illness to receive training to provide peer support for others. Peer-run centers, seen as a cost-efficient part […]