Social Security Act of 1935

In addition to its share of assistance payments, the Federal Govern ment also makes grants which cover approximately one-half the cost of administration by the State, in the case of plans for aid to the blind and aid to dependent children. Federal grants to States with respect to old-age assistance payments are increased by an additional 5%, which may be used by the States for administration, assistance payments, or both.

Health and Welfare

for three programs to promote maternal and child welfare, which are under the supervision of the Children's Bureau of the United States Department of Labor, were increased by the act of 1935 and further increased by the amend ments of 1939. These three programs—maternal and child health, services for crippled children, and child welfare—operate on a Federal State co-operative basis similar to the public-assistance programs. The States adopt and administer their own plans, receiving Federal grants to help carry on their programs if their plans are approved by the United States Children's Bureau. With increases provided by the amendments of 1939, annual appropriations of Federal funds author ized for these programs are: $5,820,000 for maternal and child health services ; $3,870,000 for services to crippled children ; and $1,510,000 for child-welfare services.

The act of 1935 provided funds for distribution to the States to assist them in extending public-health services. The Surgeon General of the United States Public Health Service is in charge of regulations governing grants to the States for public-health work. State programs are submitted to him for approval, and the Federal Public Health Service assists the States in improvement of their programs. Under

the amendments of 1939 an annual appropriation of $11,000,000 was authorized for this work.

The Social Security Act made additional Federal funds available to the States to assist them in their programs of rehabilitating persons vocationally handicapped through disease, accident, or congenital causes, but otherwise employable. A further increase provided by the amendments of 1939 brought the annual appropriation authorized for grants to the States to $3,5oo,000. The Office of Education ad ministers the Federal provisions for vocational rehabilitation. The amendments extend all five of these health and welfare provisions to Puerto Rico.

Social Security Act established the Social Security Board as the administrative agency to have jurisdiction over the old-age insurance, unemployment insurance, and public-assistance features of the act. This board of three members is appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The Social Security Board is now one of five member agencies in a new Federal Security Agency created by the President's first re organization plan, effective July 1, 1939. Also included in the new organization are the Public Health Service, the Office of Education, the National Youth Administration, and the Civilian Conservation Corps. Under the same reorganization plan the United States Em ployment Service, formerly in the Department of Labor, was co ordinated with the Unemployment Compensation Bureau of the Social Security Board, the joint service now being known as the Bureau of Employment Security. (0. M. P.)