Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-12-08
Review Is Ordered
On Relief Standards
District Grants
6.4% Increase
In Payments

amount Of money necessary to
keep District relief recipients in
good health has been ordered by
the Board Of Commissioners.
Meanwhile. the city heads APP
proved an increase effective
january l., from 70 per cent to
1888 per cent in payments under
the standards adopted in 1853
by the now defunct Board of
Public Welfare.
The extra money. estimated
to raise payments to individual
relief recipients by ga per cent,
will result from a raise in Fed.
eral matching funds under a
law passed by the last session
of Congress.
The decision to increase pay
mentS was estimated to wipe
out a potential saving to the
District Of $348.000 a year.
The increase came as the re-
suit of a request by Welfare
Director Gerard M. Shea to in
Grease payments from 70 per
1cent of the departments mini
mum subsistence standard to IS
per cent. using the increased
Federal payments and savings
from a decreased pay load.
Examine Standards
At an afternoon board meet
ing yesterday, the Commission
ers made their first examination
of the standard which the We'll
fare Department says is the
minimum needed to keep relief
recipients alive and in good
health.
Commissioner David B. Karrick
called it "awfully lean," provid-
ing only a "meager existence"
Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Lane,
Engineer Commissioner, said he
had accepted the 70 per cent as
reasonable for the last two years,
but had not studied it.
He proposed that the stand
ard be reviewed and said that
if he accepted it as the neces-
lsary minimum, he would vote
to pay 100 per cent of it, and
to cut the District budget else
where to make up the difference.
Gen. Lane insisted that I'VE
should decide what they ought
to spend and then pay 100 per
cent"
STA Million More
Mr.. Shea told Commissioner
Karrick it would cost the city
$1.4 million more in relief spend
ing to pay 100 per cent of the
present standard.
He warned it would take time
to restudy the present stand
ards, but Gen. Lane commented
that if the study were completed
by the time Congress considers
the city's budget for next year,
the Commissioners would be able
to revise their request then.
Gen. Lane said the standard
ought to be set periodically, with
an automatic allowance for in
creases in the cost of living.
The study is to be made by
the Welfare Department, and
submitted to the Citizens Ad-
visory Council and to the Com
missioners.
Earlier, General AdminiStra-
ton Director Schuyler Lowe had
urged that the payments be in
creased from 70 per cent to 30
per cent which. with the new
Federal matching formula, would
save the District $204 900.
He said that SO per cent of the
present formula is the most the
District could pay without asking
for a supplemental appropria-
Ition from Congress next year.
Present Standard
The Welfare Department
standard allows $46 a month to
one person, who cooks his own
meals This is broken down to
provide $50 for food, $40 for
clothing. Sc for personal and
household needs. The standard
also allows SAT to such a person
for rent, heating fuel, utilities
and refrigeration.
Under the old formula, re-
cipients Of old-age assistance
were getting $52.53 a month. OF
this. S22.29 was in District funds
and $30.25 in Federal funds.
Under the new 83 per cent ar
'rangement.. such a person will
receive total Of $55.89-$21.7l
from the District and the rest
from the Federal Government.
Average payments for aid 10
dependent children will total
$1l2.93 ($38.51 local and the rest
FederaD. Payments have TO-
tailed $l06.l4 ($40.S7 local and
$65.27 FederaD.
Average payments for aid to
the blind will total S65.25 as
compared 10 $60.33 at present,
and aid TO the permanently and
totally disabled will total 1856
as compared 10 $6i.61.
General public assistance pay
ments will average S65.74, as
compared TO S61.79. This cate
CORY comes entirely from District
funds. without Federal matching