New Jersey § 44:7-45

§ 44:7-45.

Under general policies established by the State Board of Control, the Commissioner

of Institutions and Agencies is authorized, directed and empowered to issue, or to

cause to be issued by the appropriate departmental officers or agencies, all necessary

rules and regulations and administrative orders, and to do or cause to be done all

other acts and things necessary to secure for the State of New Jersey the maximum

Federal financial participation that is available with respect to a program of assistance

for the blind and otherwise to accomplish the purposes of this act, including specifically

the following: (a) To assure that the program shall be in effect in all counties of the State and

be mandatory upon them; (b) To assure that all individuals wishing to make application for assistance for

the blind shall have opportunity to do so, and that assistance shall be furnished

with reasonable promptness to or for all eligible individuals; (c) To provide that, in determining need for financial assistance and the amount of

assistance to be granted, there shall be taken into consideration all other income

and resources of the person seeking or receiving assistance, except that, in making

such determination, there shall be disregarded the first $85.00 per month of earned

income plus 1 / 2 of earned income in excess of $85.00 per month, of such person, and there shall further

be disregarded, for a period not in excess of 12 months, such additional amounts of

other income and resources in the case of an individual who has a plan for achieving

self-support approved by the county welfare board, as may be necessary for the fulfillment

of such plan; (d) To provide safeguards which restrict the use or disclosure of information concerning

applicants and recipients to purposes directly connected with the administration of

the program; (e) To assure that all persons to or for whom assistance is being paid under the provisions

of this act shall not receive, during the same period, any other financial assistance

from this State or any political subdivision thereof, with respect to any maintenance

requirements or other items for which allowance is made in the assistance grant paid

pursuant to this act; (f) To prescribe appropriate services which shall be made available by or utilized

by the county welfare boards for the purpose of helping needy blind individuals to

attain self-support or self-care, including particularly the services of the Commission

for the Blind, and requiring every county welfare board to promptly report to such

commission every individual coming to its attention who is known to be or is believed

likely to become permanently blind, and to prescribe administrative and procedural

methods assuring opportunity for the commission to review all such cases to make appropriate

recommendations, and otherwise to participate in the planning and providing of special

services for such cases; (g) To assure that payments of assistance will be denied or promptly terminated with

respect to any person who publicly solicits alms by wearing, carrying or exhibiting

signs denoting blindness, or carrying receptacles for the reception of alms, or doing

same by proxy or by begging from house to house.