Show public welfare has adopted new rules granting assistance ass stance tor for marry many months public resist 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 tomake certain that assistance be slope slop only to those persons who alf sufficient sufficient resources to pro va vie abr themselves those things essential to health and the state board of public welfare has adopted new rules and regulations relative to the granting of assistance effective january 1 1940 all persons now receiving old age assistance si sl stance aid to blind aid to dependent children or general assistance eia si stance ance will be re investigated and eligibility for co continuing i i assistance si stance will be determined on the basis of these new instructions persons applying or reapplying tor for any type of alsista assistance i nce af after january 1 1940 will also have their eligibility for assistance es 1 in conformity wah these regulations all incomes and resources of applicants or recipients shall be evaluated and per cos cons slither either receiving 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 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 resources and income are inadequate to provide the persons with a decent standard of living must be bained prior to granting any J 1 assistance ft si stance ta C opinion of the state I 1 Bo boar arche hrc public welfare the new instructions will reduce the atall total number of persons now receiving aid will increase grants to somei some and will reduce grants to others now receiving assistance thus ef a more equitable distribution 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 inome income available to the department A percentage cut is a drastic and effective method by which an immediate 1 savings in funds can be effected however such a meas H iteld should be used only as a last t 5 L id d not utilized until it is der ali n that all persons receiving 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 rek of uniform adminis si throughout each political V subdivision of the state and with the introduction of these new i leg eg continued on page 13 PUBLIC WELFARE HAS ADOPTED NEW RULES continued from first page il lations ions each county departments Depart department menti of public welfare will dec de eligibility on this same basis all resources will be given a cash value and the amount of aid granted thel will be the difference between fcc the total of suh resources and income i and the minimum standard buda budget es aali hed by the or in the case of old age assistance the grant will be the diff difference er between the average monthly I 1 income and resources and 30 maximum specified by the old age assistance law of utah the department has also adopted a new policy rr eltive to personal property limitations A single person will be permuted permit ed to have personal property holdings holding not in excess of and a couple or household will be permitted to retain personal property not in excess exceed of clothing aril household hou hous ehod d s a e not included in this limitation all I 1 persons parsons having personal onal holdings in e axce ace s of these maxi maximums maximi mams ims shall be expected to liquia ae such euch resources and to fujii e fund i from the liquidation to meet their own needs for a period consi tent with the amount of rc resources sources thus liquidated ui persons who eel burae ly dispose of resources to become eligible for assistance shall by such procedure dare forfeit their right to public assistance the exact date when the reinvestigation of cases will be completed has not teen been set but the counties are being instructed to begin work immediately on this le investigation in order that at the earnest earlest possible date there might be a more equitable dis distribution tr of funds and so that the necessary savings by the department can be effected prior to the end of the fiscal year july 3 1 1940 utah has consistently ma n twined a high standard of relief grants this state unlike many other states has to meet the needs of persons eligible el gible 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 empl employable employ ab e |