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(Continued from Page 1) But judging by statewide surveys, it has a high priority with 92 percent of the professionals who deal with the aged ranking it as the most needed, according to Reeve. Service programs funded through Title XX are taking the brunt of the budget axe, at least in Rappahannock. Assistance to specified disabled individuals, for instance, has been cut entirely from the local welfare budget.
“There wasn’t enough money to finance that and companion services too, and we felt companion services had the most crying need,” Reeve reported. She noted that the welfare department currently has a retarded client in the Lynchburg training center who has been judged ready to be released to a less restrictive environment.
“We don’t know what will happen," she said, pointing out that services to the retarded have been cut at the local, regional and state levels. “We have a meeting on that case on Tuesday,” Reeve added.
Indirect Effects
Welfare cuts that have drawn attention throughout the rest of the country will have more indirect than direct impact in Rappahannock County, according to the acting director.
Previously, working mothers receiving ADC benefits were allowed to deduct work-related expenses. including cost of uniforms and cost of travel to and from the job.
"Now they’ll get a flat expense allowance whether they drive to the city or just two miles down the road,” Reeve said. She noted, however, that this change will effect few recipients here, at least at present since the overwhelming majority of ADC mothers are only employed part-time at low paying jobs close to home.
“In Rappahannock County, most of the mothers who can find a 40 hour per week job with an adequate salary don't stay on assistance. In fact, we don’t have a single one at present. That’s not true in other localities and it’s not always been true here but it’s the way our (ADC) caseload is made up now...Most of the mothers with good jobs don’t want the hassle of welfare, even if they still qualify. They have pride and self-respect and they want their privacy.”
New ADC regulations also include changes in the way a stepparent’s income is counted against a child's needs. Reeve said. “But there we don’t have a single affected case now in Rappahannock County either.”
Another ADC revision will have a direct effect on welfare staff and a corresponding indirect impact on service recipients.
Formerly, the ADC caseworker reviewed each case every six months. In addition, clients were required to report any change in status affecting eligibility for the program within 24 hours. There was a SSO leeway on income: it could go up or down by $50 before affecting the ADC grant.
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