Rule behind rise in welfare cases, officials say

Tuesday, Sept. 16, 1997 | 8:32 a.m.

Welfare Division officials say they aren't concerned about the 35 percent increase in Nevada welfare applications and the 3.4 percent increase in the caseload.

"We expected this to happen," Bob Anderson, the division's budget chief, said Monday. "But we did receive a larger increase in applications than expected."

Anderson said a new rule, begun in January, allows welfare recipients to continue to receive benefits after they have found jobs. They may keep 100 percent of their benefits for the first three months after they take a job and 50 percent of their benefits for the next nine months.

Between 4,000 and 5,000 people are earning outside income and receiving temporary assistance for needy families.

"As the income disregard kicked in, we expected more people would remain on the rolls," he said.

Even with the new rule, Anderson expects the caseload to drop to 25,000 people by 1999.

Nevada's welfare caseload peaked at 42,703 people in March 1995. By this July, the caseload had fallen to 27,896, a 34.6 percent decline. In August, 28,854 received assistance.

Anderson said the number of welfare recipients holding jobs is encouraging, particularly because only 30 percent of the caseload is adults. Most recipients are children.

The state will be watching the caseload numbers carefully, Anderson said, adding that he expects slight increases for the next six months.

The number of people getting free Medicaid health care benefits has been declining, but in August that number reached 94,442 people, up 2 percent from July.