After steady decline, Nevada welfare rolls increase

Sunday, May 21, 2000 | 8:18 a.m.

The rise mirrored recent increases in two other public assistance programs: food stamps and Medicaid.

"It's a little worrisome, but I'm not sure one month makes a trend," Mike Willden, deputy administrator of the Welfare Division, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "We're not panicking yet."

But the one-month increase of 300 cases and nearly 1,000 recipients will be watched closely, he said. If the caseload continues to grow, a staff investigation will be launched to determine the cause.

Nevada's cash grant welfare program, called Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, is in no danger of reaching its historic highs any time soon.

The high point in the caseload came in March 1995, when Nevada had 42,703 people, mostly single parents and their children, receiving the grants. Last month's figure still represents a 62 percent decrease over the past five years.

Last month's caseload also is 17 percent lower than the April 1999 enrollment of 19,857. The lowest enrollment in the last decade came in March, when 15,487 people received benefits.

Willden attributed the reduction in the caseload in large part to the strong economy.

It comes at a time when Nevada has hit a period of record low unemployment. April's statewide unemployment rate was 3.8 percent.

The long-term decline in Nevada's welfare rolls has stemmed from welfare reform by Congress and the Legislature.

The 1997 Legislature limited welfare benefits to a five-year maximum and cut people off the program after two years of uninterrupted assistance.

Recipients are required to look for work, and money to help people find employment is available.

Enrollment in Medicaid hit 104,573 in April, a 2 percent increase over March and up more than 5 percent since hitting a recent low of 99,227 in March 1999.

The food stamp program also is on the increase, with a 2.4 percent jump in March over February to 61,711 participants, the most recent data available.

The number of participants is up more than 7 percent from a recent low in November 1999, when 57,763 people were enrolled.

But while the food stamp program has seen a recent increase in participants, it also is well below its peak hit in the mid-1990s, Willden said.

Food coupons worth about $60 million a year are being issued in Nevada now, compared with $100 million a few years ago, he said.

Assemblywoman Vivian Freeman, D-Reno, chairwoman of the Health and Human Resources Committee, said it's too early to be overly concerned about growth in the programs.

"I'm not really surprised. I expected that at some point we might see the welfare reform measure go as far as it could go," she said. "It's probably time for us to review the reforms in-depth and see where there are gaps we need to fill in."

Jan Gilbert, a coordinator of the advocacy group Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, said the increase in families receiving temporary assistance is likely a seasonal adjustment, not a trend.

"We've not see a great influx of recipients," she said. "The rules are so difficult, such as the job search requirements, we doubt that we will ever see the program skyrocket."

Gilbert said cash grant recipients must perform 10 job searches a week, a requirement that's difficult for people to meet.