Looking Ahead in Public Assistance

* Member, Social Security Board. I N RECENT MONTHS t h e r e h a s been m u c h discussion of t h e need for improv ing social i n su rance , b o t h u n e m p l o y m e n t i n s u r a n c e a n d i n s u r a n c e a g a i n s t o the r r isks , b u t provisions for publ ic ass i s tance h a v e received rela t ively l i t t le a t t e n t i o n . Whi le comprehens ive a n d l iberal i n su rance provisions would grea t ly decrease t h e need for publ ic ass is tance , a t p r e sen t public ass is t a n c e cons t i tu tes t h e chief source of a id for needy persons . Even if t h e i n s u r a n c e p r o g r a m s a r e ex tended a n d improved, i t will be some yea r s before i n s u r a n c e equals or exceeds ass i s tance in i m p o r t a n c e as a m e a n s of providing for old people or for t h e widows a n d ch i ld ren of workers w h o die. M o r e over, s ince i n s u r a n c e benefits reflect t he worker ' s p a s t e a rn ings a n d a re fixed in re la t ion to t h e average s i t u a t ion, t h e r e will a lways be except ional cases in wh ich public ass i s tance is essent ia l . I t is i m p o r t a n t , there fore , to e x a m i n e our public ass i s tance p r o g r a m b o t h as to ph i losophy a n d as to m e t h o d to see w h e t h e r i t is a d a p t e d to t h e func t ions wh ich t h e publ ic will expect of i t . We a r e incl ined to p r ide ourselves on t h e progress we h a v e m a d e in r e cen t years in t h e public ass i s tance p r o g r a m in ge t t ing a w a y f rom t h e old poor law concepts of relief giving. W e refer to t h e " m e a n s tes t , " in t h e form in which i t w a s — a n d still i s — a d m i n is tered u n d e r t h e poor laws, a s s o m e t h i n g qui te a b h o r r e n t . We like to t h i n k t h a t " a s s i s t ance" is now p r o vided to needy persons as a m a t t e r of r igh t , w i thou t a n y t inge of paupe r i sm . U n d e r t h e Social Secur i ty Act, p a y m e n t s m u s t be m a d e in cash ; no m o r e relief in k ind wi th i ts humi l i a t i ons a n d its abuses ! No longer does t h e wel fa re worker a t t e m p t to tell the r ec ip ien t where h e shal l live, w h a t h e shal l ea t , a n d w h e r e w i t h h e sha l l be c lothed. T h e p a y m e n t s m u s t be " n o n res t r i c t ive" ; once t h e a m o u n t of t h e rec ip ient ' s p a y m e n t is de t e rmined , he m u s t be left free to use i t j u s t a s a n y o t h e r cit izen of t h e c o m m u n i t y uses h i s income. Undoub ted ly these c h a n g e s r e p r e sent , in pr inc ip le a t leas t , a g r e a t ach ievemen t . B u t how fa r is t h i s phi losophy reflected in t h e deta i led regu la t ions a n d procedures , a n d m e t h o d s of ope ra t ion? T o w h a t ex t e n t h a v e we rel ieved t h e a p p l i c a n t or rec ip ien t of a s s i s t ance—and m e m bers of h i s fami ly—from t h e h u m i l i a t ions a n d i r r i t a t i o n s of " p o o r l a w " p rocedures? W h a t do we m e a n when we say publ ic ass i s tance is based o n r ight , a n d a r e we sure t h a t th i s r i g h t is unders tood , a n d recognized? If no t , w h a t do we need to do to m a k e i t effective?