Public...Document No. 17 €l>e €ommontoeaftf) of ffia$$atfyu$ttt# ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WELFARE FOR THE Year Ending November 30, 1936 PARTS I, II, AND III Publication of this Document appkoved by the Commission on Administbation and Finance 2700. 8-'37 Order 1442. "** 2 193/ 4I,S ®fje Commonttjeaitf of JWastfadfmsett* DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WELFARE Walter V. McCarthy, Commissioner To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives: The Seventeeth Annual Report of the Department of Public Welfare, covering the year from December 1, 1935, to November 30, 1936, is herewith respectfully presented. Members of the Advisory Board of the Department of Public Welfare Date of Original Date of Appointment Name Residence Expiration Dec. 10, 1919 George Crompton Worcester .... Dec. 1, 1939 July 1, 1931 Harry C. Solomon, M.D. Boston Dec. 1, 1937 Dec. 1, 1935 Mary T. Roberts Chestnut Hill Dec. 1, 1938 Dec. 1, 1935 Anna E. Pigeon Belmont Dec. 1, 1938 Jan. 15, 1936 Morris Bronstein Boston Dec. 1, 1937 Dec. 1, 1936 Frederick P. Schmid Boston Dec. 1, 1939 Divisions of the Department of Public Welfare Boston Division of Aid and Relief: Room 30, State House Frank W. Goodhue, Director Miss Flora E. Burton, Supervisor of Social Service Mrs. Elizabeth F. Moloney, Supervisor of Mothers' Aid Edward F. Morgan, Supervisor of Settlements j ~>hn B. Gallagher, Supervisor of Relief Bureau of Old Age Assistance: 15 Ashburton Place Francis Bardwell, Superintendent Division of Child Guardianship: Room 43, State House Miss Winifreu A. Keneran, Director Division of Juven^e Training: 41 Mt. Vernon Street Charles M. Davenpt -t, Director v7?Uer C. Bell, Executive Secretary Miss rJmeda F. Cree, Superintendent, Girls' Parole Branch C. Frederick Gilmore, Superintendent, Boys' Parole Branch Subdivision of Jr. t vate Incorporated Charities: 15 Ashburton Place Miss Florence G. b, kson, Supervisor of Incorporated Charities Miss Alice M. Mclntirt, Supervisor of Incorporated Charities Miss Mary C. Robinson, (supervisor of Incorporated Charities Subdivision of Town Planning: 14 Beacon Street Edward T. Hartman, Visitor to City and Town Planning Boards Subdivision of Crippled Children: Room 549, State House Miss Margaret MacDonald, Supervisor Institutions under the Supervision of the Department of Public Welfare State Infirmary, Tewksbury. Lawrence K. Kelley, M.D., Superintendent Massachusetts Hospital School, Canton. John E. Fish, M.D., Superintendent Lyman School for Boys, Westborough. Charles A. DuBois, Superintendent Industrial School for Boys, Shirley. George P. Campbell, Superintendent Industrial School for Girls, Lancaster, Miss Catharine M. Campbell, Superin- : •" tendent ! \ j ,, l°* °" ' State Board of Housing: 209 Washington Street' ' Sidney T. Strickland, Chairman 2 P.D. 17 PART I REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC WELFARE During the past year, social legislation has been enacted in this state which is so far reaching in its scope that a resume of the events that lead up to its enactment is well worth recording. The Legislature of 1935 created a Special Recess Com- mission (Chapter 56 of the Resolves of 1935) to study and revise the laws relating to public welfare. The scope of the Commission' survey was further amplified by the passage of Chapter 60 of the Resolves of 1935, which referred all matters in House Bill Number 2144 of 1935, a bill proposing certain changes in the Old Age Assistance Law, to the attention of the Commission. The Commission submitted its report to the General Court in accordance with the provisions of said Resolves on the first Wednesday of December, 1935. The personnel of the Commission was as follows: Honorable Theodore R. Plunkett of Adams, designated by the President of the Senate; Representative John W. Lasell of Northbridge, Representative James A. Gunn of Montague, Representative Roland D. Sawyer of Ware, designated by the Speaker of the House; and Mr. Walter V. McCarthy of Boston, Mr. Charles B. Campfield of Boston, Mr- Wendell P. Thore of Quincy, designated by His Excellency, the Governor. Mr. William H. McMasters of Cambridge served as Secretary of the Commission. Public meetings were held in the following cities: Greenfield, Springfield, North Adams, Pittsfield, Fitchburg, Worcester, Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, Lynn, Taunton, Brockton, New Bedford, Fall River and Boston. As the basis for its report, the Commission heard many officials and lay persons in different sections of the Commonwealth. It was the opinion of the Commission after very careful consideration of all the recommendations made, that the following specific changes in the law were vitally necessary to meet the social, industrial and economic conditions throughout the Commonwealth. Changes Recommended 1. Immediate reduction to the age of sixty-five in Old Age Assistance. 2. Old age beneficiaries to receive a minimum of $30 per month, to be paid in weekly instalments, by check or cash, from the city or town where the beneficiary resides. In cases where a married couple have both reached the age of sixty-five, and are living together, the combined minimum amount shall be $45, instead of $30 per month each. 3. A state appeal board of three to be set up, to consist of the Superintendent of the Bureau of Old Age Assistance, and two other members, one man and one woman, from each of the two major political parties, who shall be appointed by the Governor for a term of four years, except in the initial appointment, which shall consist of a term of two years for one of the appointees, succeeding appointments to be four years each. The findings of this appeal board shall be mandatory. The salaries of the two appointed members shall be $1,000 per year, and funds for travel and other necessary expenses of the board shall be recommended by the Commissioner of Public Welfare. The duties of the board will be to settle all disputes in the matter of eligibility of those seeking old age assistance, and to acquaint applicants with their rights under the law. 4. The words "and others" in the present law, involving support of aged people? shall be deleted, and on the question of children supporting their parents the words "or contribute to the support of" shall be added. The purpose of these changes will be to eliminate so far as possible disputes involving support of aged people by any one except their children to make contributions to the support of parents as reasonable as possible. It was the opinion of Mr. Campfield and Mr. Thore, members of the Commission, that the so-called "Support Your Parents" clause should be eliminated. 5. The elimination of aivy stated "equity" provision in connection with real estate owned ^ppifcarit tfdr^pld age assistance. l£ is generally agreeed that the by an t matter of "equity"' is Hard to determine and may work a severe hardship in some instances. As an offset to the elimination of an "equity" in real estate, it is recom- Pt. I. 3 mended that a lien be laid, to run in favor of the city or town against the property- owned by the beneficiary, this lien to be in the form of a mortgage bond. It is recommended that if a beneficiary has an insurance policy of not over $1,000, the policy may be continued in force, provided it has been in effect for at least five years prior to application for old age assistance. The beneficiary must be either the surviving spouse or the estate of the aged person, and not some individual who might receive the benefits of the policy to the detriment of the city or town that has provided old age assistance. 6. That a law be passed which will operate against the transfer of property at any time within five years before the date of application for old age assistane, if it is determined that this transfer was made for the mere purpose of establishing eligibility. 7. The provisions of the National Social Security Act, to reimburse states one- half of the amount paid for old age assistance to its citizens up to a maximum of $30 per month, is the determining factor in the recommendation of the Commission that the minimum amount in Massachusetts shall be set at $30 per month. The original idea of old age assistance in Massachusetts was that the State should assume full responsibility. The fact is that the funds have been provided by the various cities and towns with certain reimbursements from the State. Drastic changes are necessary. At present, the State reimburses cities and towns one-third of the amount paid by them to their aged people under the Old Age Assistance Law. The Commission recommends that the State hereafter shall reimburse the cities and towns two-thirds of the net amount paid out by the local units. Proposed Changes in Mothers' Aid Law In the matter of the Mothers' Aid Law, Chapter 118 of the General Laws, the Commission recommended the following changes: 1. The law should be made mandatory, as required by the Federal Social Se- curity Act, section 402 (a) (1). 2. A State appeal board, as required by section 402 (4). 3. Enlarge the scope of the law to include aid for dependent children as defined in section 406 (a). 4. Specify that "aid to dependent children" means money payments with respect to a dependent child or dependent children, as stated in section 406 (b). 5. In the matter of reimbursements to cities and towns in mother's aid cases, the Federal Social Security Act is to pay the State one-third of the amount. The Commission recommended, therefore, that the State shall reimburse the city or town two-thirds of the balance. This will make the final distribution three-ninths by the Federal Government, four-ninths by the State and two-ninths by the local unit.