Show welfare Denart department ment will check eligibility of relief applicants j for many months public assistance expenditures by the state department part ment 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 iulio have insufficient resources to provide for themselves those things essential to health and the state board of public welfare lias has adopted new rules and regulations xi relative to the granting of assistance effective january 1 1040 1940 all persons now receiving old age assistance si stance aid to and to dependent children or general assistance will be and eligibility for continuing assistance will wili be determined on the basis of these now new instructions persons applying or reapplying for any type of assistance after january 1 1940 1040 will also have their eligibility for assistance established in conformity with these regulations all incomes and resources of applicants or recipients shall be evaluated and persons either receiving or requesting laid shall be expected to utilize to tile the limit all personal resources 3 before receiving assistance there line has been a mistaken idea on the part of a large percentage of the general public that some of the assist ance grants made possible by the bic social security act are pensions pension to which people are entitles entitled on the basis of age physical handicap or a social statue these are included jn in points of eligibility but in themselves do not constitute eligibility proof that need exists and that the combined resources and income are inadequate to provide tile persons with a 1 decent standard of living must be ascertained prior to granting any type of assistance in the opinion of tile the state board of public welfare tile the instructions will reduce the total number of persons now rw receiving elving ald aid will increase grants to some anti and will reduce grants to others now receiving assistance thui thin af a more equitable distribution of assistance funds 1111 unless less there Is a reduction in jhb total expenditures it will be necessary before the end of the fiscal year for the state department to older a percentage percenta gc cut in all grants in order to keep within the income available to the department A percentage cut Is a drastic anti and effective method by which an immediate savings in funds can be effected Illo however wever such a measure should be used only as a last resort and not utilized until it Is 18 determined that all persons receiving ceiling assistance have been grant graft |