ment within the Commonwealth, who shall have resided in the Commonwealth not less than three years. No person shall acquire a settlement or be in process of acquiring a settlement while receiving aid hereunder. SEC. 5. State board of charity to have supervision.-The State board of charity shall hereafter supervise the work done and measures taken by the overseers of the poor of the several cities and towns in respect to families in which there is one child or more under the age of fourteen, whether or not such family or any member thereof has a settlement within the Commonwealth; and for this purpose may establish such rules relative to notice as they deem necessary and may visit and inspect any or all families aided under this act, and shall have access to any records and other data kept by the overseers of the poor or their representatives relating to such aid; and said board shall, in its annual report to the legislature, report upon the work done by its own agents and by the overseers of the poor in respect to such families any of whose members are without legal settlement in the Commonwealth; and shall make a separate report on the work done by the overseers of the poor in respect to such families in which all the members have a legal settlement in the Commonwealth. SEC. 6. Reimbursement by the Commonwealth.-In respect to all mothers in receipt of aid hereunder the city or town rendering the aid shall be reimbursed by the Commonwealth, after approval of the bills by the State board of charity, for one-third of the amount of the aid given. If the mother so aided has no settlement, the city or town shall be reimbursed for the total amount of the aid given, after approval of the bills by the State board of charity as aforesaid. If the mother so aided has a lawful settlement in another city or town twothirds of the amount of such aid given may be recovered in an action of contract against the city or town liable therefor in accordance with the provisions of chapter eighty-one of the Revised Laws and acts in amendment thereof and in addition thereto. SEC. 7. Appropriation.-For the purpose of reimbursing the cities and towns, as provided in the foregoing section, there shall be appropriated from the treasury of the Commonwealth the sum of fifty thousand dollars' for the operations of the first year. SEC. 8. Repeal.—All acts and parts of acts inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed. SEC. 9. Time of taking effect.-This act shall take effect on the first day of September, nineteen hundred and thirteen. Approved June 12, 1913. Prior to the passage of this act a commission to study the question of the support of dependent minor children of widowed mothers had been created by Resolves 82, Laws of 1912, and had made its report to the legislature. (Printed as H. Doc. 2075, 1913.) Included in the report (p. 37) is a draft of the bill recommended by the commission which differs from that enacted by the general court in that it provided for a State commission of five persons with authority to order payments, to be called subsidies, to be made by the overseers of the poor to indigent widowed mothers with dependent children. The law enacted gives the power of initiating aid to the overseers of the poor alone, as an extension of the system of local relief, with no limitations on the amount to be granted. The State board of charity has, however, general supervision of the work, and upon its approval of the bills thereby incurred the Commonwealth reimburses one-third on settled cases and the total amount on unsettled. The board is carrying out the mother's aid law through a woman supervisor and 'Appropriation for fiscal year ending Nov. 30, 1918, $475,000 (special acts 1918, ch. 106, p. 102). woman visitors under the superintendent of the adult poor division of the board, which has issued the following statement as to the policies which should govern the granting of the aid: POLICIES OF STATE BOARD OF CHARITY RELATING TO MOTHERS' AID. (Revised Mar. 17, 1916.) 1. Money on hand.-Aid should not be granted to a mother who has funds in excess of $200. The applicant should be required to show her bank book to the overseers when she applies for Mothers' aid. 2. Equity in property.-The State Board of Charity is willing to approve aid to an applicant who has an equity not exceeding $500 in real estate, upon which the family resides, the assessed value of which does not exceed $2,000, provided that in the case of a widow, the property has not been acquired since her husband's death, and further provided that no payments are made on the mortgage other than a reasonable rate of interest; taxes to be abated whenever possible. All other cases involving ownership of property should be referred to the board for approval before aid is granted. [As revised by supplementary notice.] 3. Temporary need.-Aid should not be granted to a mother unless it seems probable that need of aid under this law will exist for more than one year. 4. Desertion.-Aid should not be granted to a mother whose husband has deserted his family, unless a warrant for non-support has been issued under the provisions of chapter 456, Acts of 1911; until one year has elapsed since the desertion occurred; and until every effort has been made to apprehend the deserting husband. 5. Insurance.-Considering for allowance for burial expenses, aid should not be granted to a mother who is paying insurance upon the lives of her children or upon the lives of other relatives. Also: Aid should not be granted to a mother who is paying insurance upon her own life or upon the life of her totally incapacitated husband if such policies can be converted into paid-up policies, or if they have a reasonable cash surrender value. 6. Burial. It is the desire of the State Board of Charity that the allowance for burial shall be wholly suitable. When the overseers are in doubt the State Board of Charity will be glad to advise. 7. Medical aid.-Medical aid required by the mother or dependent children under 14 years of age, either in the home or in the hospital should be granted under the provisions of this act. Medical aid for other members of the family should be granted under the provisions of regular relief statutes. Reimbursement by the Commonwealth for medical aid in the home will be made in accordance with the provisions of chapter 292, Acts of 1909. Reimbursement by the Commonwealth for hospital aid will be made at a flat rate not exceeding $10.50 per week. 8. Tuberculosis.-Aid should not be granted to a mother if a member of the family has tuberculosis in a communicable stage unless such person shall apply for admission to a sanatorium, and shall agree, pending admission to the sanatorium, to conduct himself in a manner prescribed by the local health authorities, and also unless the other members of the family have been examined for tuberculosis. 9. Male lodgers.-Aid should not be granted to a mother if she has male lodgers or boarders other than the father or brother of applicant. 10. Illegitimate children.-Aid should not be granted to a mother with illegi timate children unless with the approval of the State Board of Charity. 11. Woman with one child.-Aid should not be granted to a mother whose only child is under fourteen years of age, unless the mother, by reason of illness of either mother or child is unable to provide proper support. 12. Part-time work for mother.-Only such part-time work as the mother can do without detriment to her health and without neglecting her home and her children should be encouraged. If a member of a family of working age claims to be unable to work because of illness a physician should examine the person to determine his ability to work and to prescribe for his medical needs. 13. Work for children over 14 years of age.-Every dependent child upon reaching the age of fourteen years should go to work for the time allowed by the school attendance laws, provided that he is physically able to work, and also, provided that suitable employment can be obtained for him. 14. Kind of aid (method of disbursement).—Cash aid should be granted in every case if the mother is found to be competent to manage cash. All allowances should be granted weekly. A card catalogue system rather than a pay roll is recommended. Checks on the city or town treasurer, post-office money orders, or registered letters are approved methods of disbursement. 15. Amount of aid-Family budget.-In determining the amount of aid necessary for a given family, not only the number of persons in an applicant's family, but also the health, the age, and the capabilities of each member of the family should be considered. The former income and the former standards of living of the family, as well as the standards of self-supporting citizens in the neighborhood, should also be considered. The amount of weekly aid should vary with the changing needs of the family. For instance, aid should be increased in time of sickness; and it should be decreased proportionately as the earning capacity or the income of the family from any other source increases. Aid should be discontinued as soon as the family becomes self-supporting. Weekly expenses.-The following items of expense are suggested for the careful consideration of the overseers when estimating the amount of aid necessary for a given family: Food.-Extra food allowance should be made for members of the family who are predisposed to tuberculosis or who are convalescing from illness. In large families the per capita food allowance may be somewhat reduced. Rent. A reasonable amount for a suitable tenement of proper size in a desirable location. Fuel. Clothing. Weekly income.-The following sources of weekly income should be carefully considered by the overseers in estimating the weekly income of a given family: Income from funds, pensions, rentals, etc. Aid from relatives and societies. Net wages of mother for part-time work. Net wages of children of working age. The amount of aid needed by a given family may be estimated by finding the difference between the total weekly expenses of the family and its net weekly income. RULES RELATIVE TO NOTICE AND REIMBURSEMENT BY THE COMMONWEALTH. 1. An applicant for Mothers' Aid should apply in person to the overseers of the poor of the city or town where she resides, and she should file a statement as to her resources and her needs on form 1479. 2. Aid should be rendered directly to the applicant, or in case of illness, to her authorized adult representative. Minor children should not be allowed to call at the overseer's oflice for Mothers' Aid. 3. Overseers of the poor should notify the State Board of Charity on form 1477 or 1478 when they begin to aid under the provisions of chapter 763, Acts of 1913, and such original notice shall remain in force until the case is closed. 4. When a recipient of Mothers' Aid moves out of a city or town the case should be closed. A new application for Mothers' Aid should be made to the overseers of the poor of the town to which the family has removed. 5. Whenever a case is closed by the overseers of the poor, the overseers should notify the State Board of Charity of the date when the last aid was rendered and state their reasons for closing the case on form 1475. 6. Whenever an applicant changes her address the overseers of the poor should notify the State Board of Charity. 7. If a case that has been closed is reopened the overseers should state upon the new notice their reasons for reopening the case. 8. If the overseers of the poor and the State Board of Charity consider it is for the welfare of the family, reimbursement will be approved by the Commonwealth during the absence on vacation of the mother or any of her dependent children. During the temporary absence from the State of a recipient of Mothers' Aid, the weekly payments under the Mothers' Aid Law should be suspended unless otherwise authorized by the State Board of Charity. [As revised by supplementary notice.] 9. After each quarterly visit (as required by sec. 3, chap. 763), the overseers of the poor should report to the State Board of Charity on form 1475 as to conditions in the home and as to the continuance or discontinuance of aid. These quarterly reports serve as renewal notices and as reports of the result of the yearly reconsideration of the case. 10. Reimbursement by the Commonwealth, in accordance with the provisions of section 6, çhapter 763, will not be allowed for more than ten days prior to the date of mailing of the original notice. 11. Application for burial expenses should be made upon form 1480 and this statement should be filed with the bill claiming reimbursement from the Conimonwealth. 12. In all cases the overseers of the poor shall furnish satisfactory proof that the applicant has resided in Massachusetts for three years next prior to the date of her application for Mothers' Aid. 13. In cases where the overseers of the poor claim that the mother aided has no legal settlement, the overseers of the poor shall furnish satisfactory proof that there is no settlement in any city or town in Massachusetts. 14. In cases where the mother aided has a lawful settlement in another city or town of the Commonwealth, the overseers shall notify such city or town when they begin to aid on Form 1470. Denial of settlement must be made by the overseers of the poor thus notified within thirty days. 15. Bills should be rendered to the Commonwealth semiannually, for the periods ending April 30, and October 31. |