Summary of SSA provisions to states

The new Social Security Act contained huge changes in relationship between the Federal government and the individual States. The sweeping legislation had created new old-age benefits, new aid to disabled children, new funding for health care, new programs for child care: all programs that required money and federal-state cooperation. In order to help state governments and charitable organizations understand the provisions of the new Act, the Government Printing Office produced this chart, which compared various programs in terms of federal grants, State financial participation, and overseeing organization.

Questions:

As you read the document, reflect on the following questions:

• How does Old-Age Assistance differ from Aid to Dependent Children in the amount of Federal grants to the States? In the federal definition of aid?
• Which program had the most money in authorized appropriations for 1936? Which program had the least?
• How does the Aid to Crippled Children program differ from Aid to Dependent Children?