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Welfare rolls decline

Wednesday, May 22, 2002 | 9:43 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The number of welfare recipients declined slightly in April, the first drop in a year, but state officials don't think it's the start of a trend.

The state Welfare Division reported Tuesday there were 34,081 people on public assistance, down 0.23 percent from March. A year ago 18,837 people received welfare checks.

Division Administrator Nancy Ford said the numbers grew because of the sluggish economy, the attacks of Sept. 11 and a growing population. The biggest increase came after Sept. 11.

"Although Nevada's economy is slowly recovering, it is lagging behind most of the nation," Ford said.

While the number of welfare recipients dropped last month, there were increases in those receiving food stamps and Medicaid. Food stamp numbers rose to 98,360 in March, up 1.6 percent from February. A year ago there were 71,770 people eligible for food stamps.

Medicaid reported 152,172 people receiving benefits in April, up 1.4 percent from March. A year ago there were 123,558 on Medicaid.

Ford said that with the continued growth in food stamps and Medicaid, the slight drop in welfare recipients "does not yet indicate that caseload growth is beginning to level off."

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