Evening star., 1962-05-27
Wednesday, Turns
To Disabled Group
Cheuter Hunts
Second Phuse
Sturts Friday
By BETTY MILES
Star Staff Writer

check inspired by Senator BYRD,
Democrat of West Virginia and
chairman of the Senate District
Appropriations Subcommittee.
The investigation will start
Friday.
The first phase, a random
sampling of Aid to Dependent
Children cases. showed a 58 per
cent ineligibility among those
receiving relief.
Donald Brewer. deputy direc-
tor of the Public Welfare De-
partment and chairman Of the
committee overseeing the spe-
cial investigation, said investi-
gators will check 5 per cent Of
the approximately 1900 cases in
the temporarily disabled cate
CORY for the month of March.
The department originally
had proposed a 10 per cent
check.
Approved by Byrd
However, Senator Byrd ap-
proved the lower figure at a.
meeting with Mr.. Brewer and
officials Of the General Ac-
counting Office Of the U. s.
Government last week. GAO in
vestigatorS will work in teams
with Welfare Department in
veStigators as they did on the
earlier study.
Five per cent Of ADO cases,
or $50, were chosen for the ran
dom sample, But officials be-
lieve the smaller sample Of
about rs Of temporarily disabled
cases will give a good picture
of the category. because the
points to be checked are more
clear cut.
The investigators will study:
l. Living arrangements.
2. The amount of rent the re-
cipient is paying.
3. Any other income or re-
sources that have not been dis
closed.
4. Whether the recipient has
lived in the District a year and
satisfies residence requirements.
Investigators will not check
on medical eligibility. All indi-
viduals in this category must
be certified by a doctor. Special
case evaluators assigned to the
investigation will study case
records to see If medical data
is UP to date.
Financed Locally +
It is only one of five categor-
les of public assistance and is
financed entirely with local
funds. The District spent $1l6.-s
299 on General Public As
sistance (GPA) in March. The
total expenditure for all cate
gories was 1929, ,448, Of which
S557, ,993 came from local funds
The rest was Federal money.
The other four relief categories. !
including Aid to Dependent
Children, are all financed with
matching Federal and local
money.
The District doesn't give aid
to the unemployed who are able
to work.
The average GPA grant in
March was $76.92. The maxi
mum allowance for a single
person with light housekeeping
facilities is $84, but any income
a person may have is deducted
in determining the grant. The
maximum allowances for room
and board Is $78.
Some GPA recipients are al ,
lowed to work part time.
Senator Byrd didn't specify
the categories to be investi-
gated, but he concentrated
during Senate hearings last
summer on ADO and GPA
funds. The department pro-
posed the investigation in this
area as well as the percentage
of cases to be checked.
GPA recipients in nursing
homes will not be included in
the present check, nor will be
former st. Elizabeths patients
being supported in foster homes
by the Welfare Department.
August / is the target date
for the final report.
A study Of characteristics Of
1883 cases on the roles last
September shows 81 per cent
were born in the District. OF
those born elsewhere. 81 per
cent came to the District in 1
1910 or earlier.
Fifty-six per cent were men
and A per cent women.
Eighty-four per cent were non
white and 16 per cent white.
The median age was Sis
years.
Education Level Low
Forty per cent had not gone
past the sixth grade, 43 per
cent had completed grades 7
through IL.
Four per cent had no school
record.
Twenty-seven per cent had
been private household work.
ers, 27 per cent had held serv-
Ice positions, and % per cent
were laborers.
Ninety-one per cent had no
other income.
Since last July, 467 new
GPA cases had come on the
rolls. OF the 1,216 already on
at the beginning Of this fiscal
year, 1,129 had no spouse pres
ent. Twenty-Five per cent of
them lived alone, Is per cent
with relatives and 81 per cent