 | The Cavalier daily Friday, February 5, 1971 |  |
Fiscal Difficulties
The expanding welfare rolls,
partly due to the present period of
economic recession, have caused
fiscal difficulties for many states.
At least one state, Nevada, has
responded to these difficulties in
the most inhumane way-simply
cutting people off welfare. Last
month, the Nevada Department of
Welfare, alleging widespread
"fraud", summarily terminated
public assistance grants to 890
families (22% of the AFDC cases in
the state), and reduced payments to
an additional 1,133 families (28%.)
Procedurally, alone, the State's
action flies in the face of
established law: last year the US
Supreme Court ruled that it is a
denial of a person's constitutional
right to due process of law if his
welfare grant is terminated or
reduced without an opportunity for
a prior hearing on any issue of fact.
Substantively, as well, the Nevada
action is highly questionable, based
as it is upon the finding that 50% of
the AFDC cases had lied on their
applications, and local caseworkers
had failed to realize this.
According to a National Welfare
Rights Organization (NWRO)
investigating team of lawyers, the
Nevada action is "repressive and
illegal" and the team reports back
"incredible stories of no prior
hearings given before termination,
and inaccurate or incomplete
information used as the basis for
terminations." (NWRO press
release, Jan. 27 1971.)
| The Cavalier daily Friday, February 5, 1971 | |