08/04/2022 - Jefferson City, Mo.
The latest monthly reports from State Auditor
Nicole Galloway detailing state government's use of federal stimulus dollars
intended for the COVID-19 response shows Missouri received $7.92 billion
between April 2020 and March 2022. As the state's financial watchdog, the State
Auditor's Office has issued the reports since June 2020 examining Missouri
government's distribution and spending of funding received under the federal
CARES Act, American Rescue Plan and other federal assistance programs.
The most recent reports shows Missouri's
spending of federal assistance for the months of February and March 2022, as
well as the cumulative expenditures since the state began receiving funding in
April 2020. Through the end of March 2022, the state has spent $5.49 billion in
funding made available by the CARES Act and other federal programs, and $699
million in American Rescue Plan funds.
A
significant portion of expenditures to date are for services through the
state's Medicaid program (MO HealthNet) and other programs receiving federal
matching funds. Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the federal
government increased its percentage share of the cost of the state's Medicaid
program. The American Rescue Plan also offered Missouri a temporary increase in
the federal funds matching rate in exchange for the state's Medicaid expansion.
As of March 31, 2022, the increased cost share for the federal government has
totaled $1.6 billion in additional federal funding for Medicaid in Missouri.
Other
funding has been provided to local governments, schools, institutions of higher
education, child care providers, long-term care facilities and developmental
disabilities waiver providers. Funds have also been used for mental health
services, purchase of personal protective equipment, virus testing, contact
tracing, vaccine
preparedness and access, workforce development,
economic development programs for small businesses, COVID-19 dedicated
personnel costs, emergency rental assistance and
other disaster relief purposes.
In addition to the monthly report examining
the state's spending, the Auditor's Office also has an online tool to give
Missourians a detailed look at expenditures. The COVID-19 Response
page tracks not only how much is received and
expended in relief funds, but also lists which state and local government departments,
vendors and expense categories are receiving the most funding. The information
on the website provides data on expenditures and is updated regularly.
Auditor Galloway's efforts are similar to work performed by
the previous State Auditor's administration,
which reviewed the state's use of funds received through the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Under Article
IV, Section 13 of the Missouri Constitution, the State
Auditor has a duty to ensure the accuracy of the state's accounting of its
spending.
A copy of the report on Missouri spending of
federal CARES Act assistance in February 2022 can be found here. The February 2022 report on the American Rescue Plan
spending is here.
The CARES Act report for March 2022 can be found here. The March 2022 American Rescue Plan report is
here.