The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1937-05-27
How One Is to Apply for
Federal Relief Clarified
State Department Issues Advice
for Old Age and Dependent
Children Help

Raleigh, May Z4.-MotnCuS OF ap-
plying for relief under the Old Age
Assistance and Aid to Dependent
Children Act adopted by the 1887
General Assembly of North Carolina
may not be clearly outlined in the
mind of many persons who may
wish to secure the aid made possible
through passage of the legislation,
which goes into effect on July l.
The procedure is simple. Appli-
cations must be made to County De-
partments Of Welfare in the county
in which the applicant resides and
must bepreceded by interview with
Department workers. They must be
in writing; prepared in duplicate
1.-TWO copies), and they must be
sworn to by the applicant. The SER
vices Of notary public or OF some
authorized county official may be
utilized for the latter purpose.
In the event applicants are unable
to write, or cannot, for any other
reason, fill out their applications,
they may call upon officials or en-
ployes of the County Welfare De-
partments, who are required by law
to prepare applications for those
who are unable to do so for them
selves.
All applications must contain a
statement of the amount of proper
ty, if any, both real and personal, in
which applicants may have an inter-
est, and of all income applicants
may have at the time of the filing
of the applications. Such additional
information as the State Board and
individual administering agencies
may require also must be furnished.
Following the filing of an appli-
cation, an investigation of the ap-
plicant will be made by the local
department, in order to ascertain all
facts in each case This is a routine
procedure, designed to see that JUS
tive is accorded all applicants, and
at the same time to prevent the pos
sibility Of fraud. The Investigations
are not intended to cause offense.
The Investigations will be made
by employees Of the local depart
ments, and the results will determ-
inc the amount of assistance the ap-
pLcant is entitled to receive, should
the application receive final ap-
proval.
The amounts applicants may re-
ceive will range as high as $50 per
month for Old Age Assistance. In
the case of children, there is max
imum of $18 per month for the first
child, with each additional child of
the same family receiving not more
than $12 per month. The maximum
for children's aid for single family
is $54 per month, except in partl-
cular cases of merit where the need
is found to be greater. Decisions of
this character will be made by the
State Board, which will receive
recommendations from the local de-
partments.
Following the investigations, ap-
plicants are to be promptly notified
by local boards as to whether their
applications have been approved or
rejected. In the event of an unfav-
orable report, the applicant has the
right of appeal from the decisions of
the local departments to the State
Board of Allotments and Appeal.
None Of the payments made
through the Social Security pro-
gram, according to the law, shall be
subject to execution, levy, attach
ment, garnishment, or other legal
processes, nor to the operation of
any bankruptcy or insolvency law.
Neither shall any of the funds be
transferable or assignable in any
manner.
These safeguards were embodied
in the Act for the protection of re-
cipients of assistance, but there are
other provisions which tend to pro-
tect the county and the state from
would-be fraudulent persons.
The Act, in that respect, reads as
follows:
whoever knowingly obtains, OF
attempts to obtain, or aids or abets
any person to obtain by means Of
willfully false statements or repre-.
sentation or by impersonation, o.
other fraudulent device, assistance
to which he is not entitled, or assist
ance greater than that to which hi
is justly entitled, shall be guilty of ;
misdemeanor, and, upon conviction
thereof, shall be fined or imprison
ed, or both, at the discretion of tn
court"
nuLo onI WaUv