Evening star., 1939-09-07
Revised Aid
Budget Asks
$2,007,200
Welfare Officials
Anticipate Dropping
Of 405 Present Coses
By DON S. WARREN.

Anticipating that 405 relief cases
now carried by the District. could be
dropped as ineligible, creating an
annual saving of between S155, 900
and $4,000, which could be applied
to deserving applicants, District
welfare officials today submitted to
the Commissioners a revised public
assistance budget for the next fiscal
year.
The new estimates, the first since
the selection of Robert E. Bondy as
the new welfare director and of
Otto j. Cass as the new director of
public assistance, calls for a total
outlay from District funds of S2,OO7,-
20O Tor the various relief programs,
as against current appropriations of
$l,700 900, an increase of S307,2OO.
Including Federal grants to the
District, under the social security
program, the total relief outlay here
under the jurisdiction of the Board
of Public Welfare would be 1885,
$50, an increase of S406, ,497 over this
years appropriations.
Would Increase Staff.
A revamping of the relief program
was proposed by the new welfare
officials, and indorsed by the well
fare board, in the revised estimates.
The anticipated savings were based
on proposals for increase OF 49 in
the staff Of the Public Assistance
Division. Coupled with this was a
proposal for merging into one serv-
ice and one fund, the now separate
categories of home care for depend
ent children, which has been avail
able since 1926 under the District
Welfare Act, with the aid-to-de-
pendent-children service, created
under the Federal social security
program.
Mr.. Bondy, Mr.. Cass and the We'll
fare Board proposed a decrease in
the fund for general public assist
ance, which is direct relief. from
the present 100000 to S828, 200,
whereas in the original tentative
estimates, submitted recently. the
board had proposed an increase to
81 100000, but this new plan was
coupled with requests for a consid-
cradle increase in appropriations
for the combined home care-depend-
ent children fund, for which they
asked S383O00 as against this years
S163 900.
Another proposed new departure
was a request for a public assistance
reserve account of S15O0OO, which
could be applied to any of the cate
/ h11t VII, nj, ,-
experimental fund for the care of
destitute employable persons, who
now are denied aid under any of
the relief programs of the District,
except the w. P. A, which now is
dropping all cases which have been
on that roll as long as 18 months,
under the new Federal w. P. A.
rules.
Estimate Held Impossible.
In this connection, welfare Off
clals said in their Justification: 1T
is impossible to estimate the change
that might result in the present
ability OF the w. P A to employ all
certified and eligible employables.
At present, there are $500 certified
and eligible employables not cur
rently employed on this program. 1t
is felt that should an emergency
arise and no opportunity for en-
ployment be available to this large
number of cases that the Board of
Public Welfare. on recommendation
to the Board of Commissioners,
should be enabled to meet the emer-
! gency from this fund"
! Mr.. Bondy explained this fund. if
approved, would be a start on care
of destitute employable persons, but
he said his staff now had no way
Of knowing even approximately
what was the real need for care of
employable persons. Reports from
other Jurisdictions, he said show
there has been a general increase in
local relief demands as a result of
reduction OF the w. P. A. rolls.
The Welfare Board and Mr..
Bondy and Mr.. Cass urged an in
crease in the limits placed by Con-
gress on the amounts OF relief that
could De given to those in the sew
eral categories, to place them in
line with Federal social security
levels.
They proposed that the limit on
general relief be increased from $50
to S78 a month, with an increase
from S24 to $50 for single persons
on emergency relief, an increase
from $50 to S38 for two persons on
emergency relief and an increase
from Sc to So for additional depend
ents under the ages of 18 years. if
they are attending school, as op-
posed to the present age limit of 16
years.
Would Increase Limit for Blind.
They proposed also that the limit
for two persons under the home care
and dependent children program be
increased from $50 to S38 month,
and the limit from Sc to So on de-
pendents under l8 years of age, and
a total of S78 instead of $50 for the
home care of dependent children.
In addition they proposed that the
limit for old age and needy blind be
increased from $50 to $40 a month.
Mr.. Bondy gave number of rea-
sons for the proposed increase in
funds Tor the proposed enlargement
of the staff, He explained first that
w. P. A. quota had been reduced
| and that w. P. A. authorities, even
for the present fiscal year, are urg-
ing the dropping of their case
workers who certify needy families
eligible for surplus commodities.
Welfare officials said that for the
fiscal year there was an average of
1888 cases per month on general
public assistance, at an average
monthly cost of $2587 per case.
They added: Our estimate for the
fiscal year 1941 provides for an av-
erage monthly case load of 2,075 at
a monthly average of s26 per case.
Fourteen additional employees are
requested, IL of which would be jun
ior social workers. This will permit
each worker to carry a case load Of
| or,Nrnviv,o faI . =