Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-02-06
1857 Relief Cases
Closed in 6 Years
$33 Million
In Grants Not
Spent by City
BY BETTY MILES
Star Staff Writer

Gerard M. Shea told the Com
miSsioners today 1887 relief
cases were closed by his staff
here in the last six years.
The department estimates
$33 million to $37 million thus
was not spent for relief grants.
A little less than half would
come from local money and the
rest from matching Federal
grants.
A special team of 10 investi-
gators now is checking S per
cent of all aid to dependent
children cases, and later will
look into 10 per cent of all
general public assistance cases.
The regular investigators only
look at cases referred by social |
workers.
The special team drawn from
the regular investigating groupt
of IA, was set up last November
to ferret out possible cheaters
on the rolls. Each case han |
died by the special team costs
the city about 5000. About A
are investigated each week, at
a cost of 1918. The special !
team devoted Is man hours to
each case, compared to 7 to
IL man hours per case for the
regular group.
Mr.. Shea's report, sent to
Commissioner John B. Duncan,
who is in charge of welfare
matters, notes a grand total of
1890 closings since 1856. Rolls
continued to rise, however, be-
cause the number of additional
cases was greater-26,997 for
the same six years.
To get a true picture of clos
ings, Mr.. Shea subtracted an
estimated number expected to
return to the rolls, as we'll as
cases called closed because of )
a technicality, and closings due
to death.
This leaves 1857 removed
by social workers or through
investigators efforts. The pc
riod covers fiscal 1856 through
1861.
1861 Break Down
The 1861 figures, for ex-
ample, shape up this way:
These were 1891 cases re-
moved by social workers or
through Investigators efforts.
In all. 4,198 were actually closed
last year.
Social workers were respon-
sible for 2,754 of the 1891, in
veStigators for the other 237.
In some instances, the social
workers role was merely me-
chanical. Recipients sometimes
ask to be removed because they
have become ineligible.
This occurs without nudging
from officials, although warn
ings against violations sent
with this months relief checks
led to the immediate with
draWal of five recipients.
Social workers closed cases
Tor various reaSonS-a bread
winner is able to earn money
again; a woman marries: a
family leaves town; an absent
parent comes home. Eligibility
for social security benefits, or
increases in them, accounted
for 1872 cases.
OF the overall total of 4,1e8.
transfer from one category tn
another accounted for 698. For
example, recipient might be
moved from the general public
assistance category for tempo
rarily disabled to aid to the
totally disabled. Another SOC
were due to deaths.
The report shows that the
percentage of closings has
dropped in cases regular invest
lgators were asked to check.
Only IA per cent of those aI
ready on the rolls and new
cases pending were found in.
teligible in 1861, while 27.5 per
cent were dropped from Octo-
Der, 1855. to June, 1861.
True Picture in Offing I
A report based on the work
OF the original five-man in
vestigative team, doubled last
week, revealed II out of the
first 20 cases investigated were
ineligible.
The department contends $50
must be checked before a true
picture begins to emerge.
Turning to the work of his
entire department, Mr.. Shea
notes that although the wei
fare budget has almost doubled
between fiscal 1857 and fiscal
1862, welfare's share of the
District operating budget is
only 4 per cent higher than
in 1857.
The welfare budget was SILL
$4,000 in 1857. 1t is $21, 4Ol 900
in 1862.
The number of persons well
fare aids has all but tripled. AS
OF last July l, 58,430 persons
were being helped, including
$4,000 relief recipients. There
are about $4,000 relief cases on
the rolls, many involving fami-
lies. There were about 8,l00J
cases in 1857.