WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and SportsWis. debates expansion of burial program for poor
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Associated Press - March 13, 2010 11:05 AM ET
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The Legislature's budget committee is considering whether to expand a program that helps pay the funeral and burial expenses of low-income Wisconsin residents.
The Joint Finance Committee on Tuesday is expected to vote on a bill that would allow the program to pay for funerals and burials that cost up to $4,500 instead of the current $3,500.
The maximum funding for each claim would remain at $1,500. But the Department of Health Services says the expanded eligibility might increase claims by 15 percent, or by 500 per year.
The department estimates the bill might increase the program's costs by $538,000 per year. It estimates the program cost roughly $7.8 million in 2009.
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