(The Center Square) – Missouri received more than $11.8 billion in federal COVID-19 funding since April 2020, according to the latest report from Democratic Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway.
Through the end of November, Missouri spent $6.47 billion in funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and other federal programs, according to the report. The report stated $2.35 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds were spent through November.
Galloway reported a significant amount of expenditures were for services through Missouri’s Medicaid program and other programs receiving federal matching funds. The federal government increased the percentage of its cost of Missouri’s Medicaid program under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
ARPA funds also provided Missouri a temporary increase in the federal funds matching rate in exchange for the state’s Medicaid expansion. The federal government’s increased share of the cost of Medicaid was more than $2 billion.
Local governments, schools, institutes of higher education, child care providers, long-term care facilities and developmental disabilities waiver providers received the federal pandemic funds. Federal money also was spent on mental health services, purchasing of personal protective equipment, virus testing, contact tracing, vaccine preparedness and access, workforce development, economic development programs for small businesses, emergency rental assistance, disaster relief and personnel costs related to pandemic services.
The state departments receiving most funds were social services ($2.97 billion), elementary and secondary education ($1.77 billion), public safety ($1.56 billion), office of administration ($1.15 billion) and economic development ($744 million).
The state’s top vendor receiving funds was classified as all social service program reimbursements ($1.78 billion), including Medicaid and the children’s health insurance programs. The other top vendors receiving federal funds were the Missouri Housing Development ($741 million), the University of Missouri-Columbia ($77 million), SLSCO, LTD, ($72.3 million) a general contracting and construction management firm providing disaster and emergency response, construction, development, health and infrastructure services, and the Hazelwood School District ($71.6 million), located in north St. Louis County.
The top five local governments or agencies receiving federal assistance were St. Charles County ($47.3 million), City of St. Louis ($35.6 million), Greene County ($34.7 million), Clay County ($29.4 million) and OATS Incorporated ($28.4 million), a nonprofit providing transportation services in rural areas and for senior citizens and people with disabilities.
