44:7-12. Relief granted by county welfare boards; amount and nature; treatment other than medical treatment

The county welfare board, as the bureau of old age assistance, shall receive and act upon applications filed pursuant to this chapter, and shall extend to those persons found to be eligible under the provisions of this chapter assistance adequate to provide for their reasonable maintenance and well-being. Old age assistance shall be granted in the form of cash or check. Necessary medical and health services and supplies may be granted in addition thereto in accordance with regulations of the State division. The amount and nature of assistance which any person shall receive, the manner of providing it, and the conditions upon which it is granted, shall be determined by the county welfare board as the bureau of old age assistance with due regard to the conditions existing in each case, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the State division except that the director of welfare shall be empowered to initiate, alter, suspend, or terminate grants of old age assistance as hereinafter provided subject to revision, continuance or discontinuance of the county welfare board at its next subsequent meeting. Such assistance shall be provided for the recipient only while living in his own or some other suitable family home or approved institution within this State, except that upon special resolution by the county welfare board and approval from the State division such assistance may be continued for such periods as the State division may by regulation prescribe for any individual already receiving same who moves outside the State of New Jersey, in any case where the State division finds that the State to which such individual has moved is willing to provide such supervision and to make such reports as the State division may require, but such assistance outside the State of New Jersey shall in no event be continued after the individual acquires eligibility, with respect to residence, for any form of public assistance in the State to which he has moved.

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to preclude, in lieu of medical treatment or institutional care, other appropriate treatment or institutional care where it can be shown that the person receiving the benefits under this chapter is an adherent of any well-recognized church or religious denomination which subscribes to the art of healing by prayer and the principles of which are opposed to medical treatment; provided, that such appropriate treatment is administered by a spiritual practitioner of such church or religious denomination, or that the institutional care is in an institution licensed by the Department of Institutions and Agencies, and that the provisions of this chapter are complied with in all other respects.

Amended by L.1938, c. 361, p. 908, s. 8; L.1939, c. 338, p. 819, s. 1, eff. Aug. 17, 1939; L.1943, c. 164, p. 477, s. 4; L.1944, c. 84, p. 165, s. 2; L.1953, c. 213, p. 1614, s. 3, eff. July 1, 1953.