Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting (https://kycir.org/tag/coronavirus/)
The most recent federal coronavirus relief package finally grants states that option, but it will have no effect in Kentucky. That’s because debt forgiveness still isn’t allowed under state law.
Since Kentucky’s first COVID-19 patient was confirmed nearly a month ago, cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus have continued to increase in the state. Along with that increase in cases comes an increase in questions:
How many cases are there around me? How many people in my community have died? How do other health issues increase the risk of serious illness due to coronavirus in my community? These questions are hard to answer right now due to the speed at which data are being reported.
People in rural areas are typically sicker, older and have less access to regular healthcare than other communities.
As some Republican legislators are unsatisfied with the program’s results and call for it to be defunded, the program’s director says it’s still saving lives.
The federal government set aside $7 billion in 2009 to modernize the nation’s unemployment systems. Kentucky left its portion on the table.
The shrinking economic safety net and politics of the moment complicate an otherwise straightforward public health decision.
Gov. Andy Beshear acknowledged that Kentucky mistakenly overpaid people who requested unemployment benefits — and advised recipients to save that money.
Despite the contagious virus taking root inside the jail, judges continue to set bail amounts that are out of reach for some people. Government agencies lean on a set of narrow parameters when deciding who gets set free. The pandemic is also leading to delayed court hearings for some people, resulting in extended stays behind bars where they risk infection.
The result: Hundreds of people stuck in a cramped jail as a dangerous, contagious virus spreads, infects and, in some cases, kills. Many inmates and their families are turning to bail funds for a shot at getting out of confinement.
The state is required to collect when a person has been overpaid in unemployment benefits — even if it wasn’t their fault. That means some are learning about their state debt only after they’re in need of unemployment again.
There were 34% fewer bankruptcy petitions from the first to the second quarter of 2020, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.