Welfare and Medicaid numbers drop in April while Food Stamps increase

The number of welfare recipients decreased 4.2 percent form March to April.

Welfare Administrator Nancy Ford says that's a good sign but that, since welfare cash grant recipients are also eligible for Medicaid, that caused the Medicaid caseload to decrease two-thirds of a percent as well.

Welfare caseloads are now at their lowest level since November 2001 and 18 percent below last year's high of 35.122.

Even so, the caseload is still 56 percent higher than the total authorized by the 2001 Legislature, costing the state $1.2 million more each month than was budgeted.

The decline in Medicaid cases is the first drop there in eight months. There were still 166,199 on Medicaid in Nevada as of April.

Food stamps, however, are still on the increase in Nevada, rising another 1.6 percent from February to March of this year. The caseload of 108,264 is the highest in state history and Ford said the demand for food stamps is expected to continue increasing.