Emergency and special needs programs: administrative issues

The author describes the way in which states choose to administer emergency assistance and special needs programs--some of the most discretionary programs in public welfare. He observes that state rules tend to make some distinctions between groups of deserving and non-deserving recipients, but that the application of rules to specific clients is often left to local offices. Rules involving the circumstances covered by programs and the number of repeat requests allowed are most closely correlated to costs and caseloads. The paper suggests some ways in which the results might aid in general discussions of attempts to increase state discretion.