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Show Yelfsre Board Adopts j Nevf Rules For Granting of Assistance For many months public assistance assist-ance expenditures by the State Department of Public Welfare have increased constantly. The funds available to meet the relief demands are limited and in order to make certain that assistance be given only to those persons who have insufficient resources to pro vide for themselves those things essential to health and well-being, the State Board of Public Welfare Wel-fare has adopted new rules and regulations relative to the granting grant-ing of assistance. Effective January 1, 1940, all persons now receiving old age assistance, aid to blind, aid to dependent de-pendent children, or general assistance assist-ance will be reinvestigated and eligibility for continuing assistance will be determined on the basis of these new instructions. Persons applying or re-applying for any type of issistance after January 1, 1940, will also have their eligibility eligi-bility for assistance established in conformity with these regulations. regula-tions. All incomes and resources of applicants or recipients shall be evaluated and persons either receiving re-ceiving or requesting public aid shall be expected to utilize to the limit all personal resources before receiving assistance. There has been a mistaken idea on the part of a large percentage of the general public that some of the assistance grants made possible by the Social Security Act are pensions to which people are entitled en-titled on the basis of age, physical handicap, or a social status. These factors are included in points of eligibility but in themselves do not constitute eligibility. Proof that need exists and that the combined com-bined resources and income are inadequate to provide the persons with a decent standard of living must be ascertained prior to granting any type of assistance. In the opinion of the State Board of Public Welfare, the new instructions will reduce the total number of persons now receiving aid, will increase grants to some and will reduce grants to others now receiving assistance, thus effecting ef-fecting a more equitable distribution distribu-tion of assistance funds. Unless there is a reduction in the total expenditures, it will be necessary, before the end of the fiscal year, for the State Department to order a percentage cut in all grants in order to keep within the income available to the department. A percentage cut is a drastic and effective method by which an immediate im-mediate savings in funds can be effected. However, such a measure should be used only as a last resort re-sort and not utilized until it is determined that all persons receiving re-ceiving assistance have been granted aid on the same basis and that a percentage cut would uniformly affect all persons. The State Department of Public Welfare is charged with the responsibility re-sponsibility of uniform administration administra-tion throughout each political subdivision sub-division of the state and with the introduction of these new regulations regula-tions each County Department of Public Welfare will decide eligibility eligi-bility on this same basis. All resources re-sources will be given a cash value and the amount of aid granted will be the difference between the total of such resources and income in-come and the minimum standard budget established by the department, depart-ment, or in the case of old age assistance, the grant will be the difference between the average monthly income and resources and $30.00 maximum specified by the Old Age Assistance Law of Utah. The Department has also adopted adopt-ed a new policy relative to personal person-al property limitations. A single person will be permitted to have personal property holdings not in excess of $250.00 and a couple or household will be permitted to retain re-tain personal property not in excess ex-cess of $500.00. Clothing and household furnishings are not included in-cluded in this limitation. All persons per-sons having personal holdings in excess of these maximums shall be expected to liquidate such resources re-sources and to utilize funds from the liquidation to meet their own needs for a period consistent with the amount of resources thus liquidated. Persons who deliberately deliberate-ly dispose of resources to become eligible for assistance shall by such procedure forfeit their right to public assistance. The exact date owhen the reinvestigation re-investigation of cases will be completed com-pleted has not been set but the counties are being instructed to begin work immediately on this reinvestigation in order that at the earliest possible date there might be a more equitable distribution distri-bution of funds and so that the necessary savings by the Department Depart-ment can be effected prior to the end of the fiscal year. July 1, 1940. Utah has consistently maintained maintain-ed a high standard of relief grants. This state, unlike many other states, has attempted to meet the needs of persons eligible for social security grants as well as those persons in need because of lack of employment or who, because of mental or physical handicaps, are not employable. According to the October issue of the Social Security Bulletin, the National average of number per 1,000 aged population 65 years or over in the United States with plans approved by the Social Security Board, August, 1939 was 245 per 1,000. Utah's recipients per 1,000 for the same month was 507. The average amount per recipient re-cipient for the Nation for this group is $19.43. The average in Utah, $20.88. Utah ranks second nationally in the number per 1,000 persons receiving old age assistance. Oklahoma has the highest number of 578 and Washington, Wash-ington, D. C. 79 per 1,000. The number of children receiving receiv-ing aid to dependent children per 1,000 population under 16 years of age in the states with plans approved ap-proved by the Social Security Board, August, 1939 was 24 per 1,000 as the National average. Utah and Maryland are in the fourth place with each having 45 per 1,000 children under 16 receiving re-ceiving assistance. The average amount per family for those states with approved plans is $31.20. The average amount per family in Utah is $33.86. Recipients of aid to the blind per 100,000 total population in states with plans approved by the Social Security Board, August, 1939 has a National average of 46. Utah's average is 42. Utah and Vermont have the same figure. The average amount per recipient for states with approved plans is $23.01. Utah, $25.84. Forty-two states reporting adequate ade-quate data to the Social Security Board in August, 1939 disclosed the fact that the average amount per case in the 42 states was $24.43. The average amount per case in Utah $20.49. The number of families receiving assistance during the month was 5,721. |