Latest Coverage

Commentary: Claire McKenna, National Employment Law Project

"Researchers have known for years that low-income Medicare recipients don't always receive the prescription drug coverage that best matches their needs; but thanks to a Pitt study, there's now a price tag for this inefficiency: About $5 billion."

"The United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley will award just over $34 million over the next year to support local nonprofits that help students prepare for school, work to lower high school dropout rates, and provide job-training and other aid to low-income families."

"Cooke spends her days helping local seniors and their families determine their eligibility for programs including Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Meals on Wheels, Medicare, veterans benefits, low-income energy assistance, Regional Transportation Commission's RTC ACCESS (the para-transit door-to-door service for people with a disability), home and community-based services and Representative Payee, which provides money management to those who can no longer manage their bills."

"The hope is that with books of their own to take home, Osceola students more than 70 percent of whom live in low-income families will have no barriers to reading once school is out."

"Republican Gov. Mike Pence had touted the plan to pay for low-income children to attend early childhood programs as a top accomplishment of the 2014 legislative session. The bill approved by legislators called for the state Family and Social Services Administration to pick five counties around the state for a pilot program."

"State officials say free meals will be available to eligible children throughout the state over the summer."

"This summer, however, her school also is one of about 20 sites within the city that will offer free meals to students through Santa Fe Public Schools' Summer Food Service Program."

"Being No. 1 in federal anti-poverty programs should spur changes. West Virginians often say their state is near the top of every list of bad things. Dependency on the federal government for personal income is no exception.

"Summer learning loss happens when students spend summer vacation idly. Studies have shown that this is disproportionately common among low-income students versus their middle-income peers. Compared with their middle-income peers, low-income students often don't have opportunities to be exposed to educational and enrichment experiences, such as summer camp, family vacations, sports leagues and access to books at home."

"More Allen County students could receive free meals next school year through a nationwide program designed to help children in high-poverty areas."

"About 100,000 low- and middle-income Minnesota college students will see a one-time, $295-per-student boost in the living-expenses allowance the State Grant Program awards next year, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education announced last week. So why the worried looks among some of that program's strongest advocates as the Legislature adjourned for the year?"