NUMBER OF CLAIMS REMAINING UNPAID AS OF MAY 4, 1938 This exhibit you have just given me, has column 5 entitled "Unpaid, payable, continued claims." That means, I assume, claims that have been presented, found payable, but which still remain unpaid as of the date of the exhibit. Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir; that is right. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. I see that in California there are over 111,000 claims in that category; in Massachusetts there are over 48,000, and the total of all of them is 408,000 claims, as of May 4, 1938. Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. Mr. BACON. What is the average length of time before the payment of a claim, after it is certified as correct? Mr. ALTMEYER. About 1 week, or so, at the present time. Mr. BACON. Then, it is to be presumed that these 408,000 claims referred to will be paid within a week. Mr. ALTMEYER. No, sir; they would not. I referred to claims that are coming in now. There is a backlog of claims that for one reason or another present difficulties. In California, the difficulty arises out of the fact that their social-security account number is missing in a large number of cases. Mr. LUDLOW. Except for this backlog, you would be within a week of being current. Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. Mr. BACON. Then the backlog of 408,000 claims is due to some peculiar reason in each of the different States. Mr. ALTMEYER. I think that probably about half of them are due to peculiar circumstances. A number of claims are in process all the time. Mr. BACON. Therefore, so far as half of them are concerned, they presumably will be paid within a week from May 4. Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. How often are these statements published, semiweekly? Mr. ALTMEYER. They are not published. Since they are received by telegraph, we find errors that have to be corrected. Mr. LUDLOW. There is some fixed limit. Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. Mr. LUDLOW. This is the very latest? Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Can you let me have copies of similar reports for the last 3 months? I do not want to encumber the record with them, but I would like to have them for my own information. Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir; I will furnish them. UNEMPLOYMENT-INSURANCE TAX Mr. TABER. Mr. Altmeyer, how much have the unemploymentinsurance taxes under title III of the Social Security Act been so far this year? Mr. ALTMEYER. You mean under title IX. Title III covers grants for administration. Mr. TABER. All right, under title IX. Mr. ALTMEYER. The estimate through the present fiscal year of the Treasury made sometime ago was $138.621,000. Mr. TABER. How do they get that way? Mr. ALTMEYER. That covers the fiscal years ending June 30, 1936, 1937, and 1938. Mr. TABER. Your unemployment-insurance taxes running as now, according to the Treasury report, total for the fiscal year-and that, I suppose. includes all those payments from States and also those that are made to the States under the law-$557.000.000 down through May 3. Now, your Federal taxes amounted to more than 10 percent. according to my figures, although, perhaps, I may be away off, and that would be $55,000.000 for the period of 10 months out of 12. Probably the tax would reach $10,000,000 on that basis. Now, how am I wrong about that? Mr. ALTMEYER. I did not hear what year. Mr. TABER. The current fiscal year. Mr. ALTMEYER. Your question is how to reconcile that with the $80,000,000? Mr. TABER. No; how to reconcile it with the $138,000,000. Mr. ALTMEYER. The $138,000,000 covers 3 fiscal years. You asked me for the total, and I understood that it was from the time the law went into effect. Mr. TABER. No; it was not. The $80,502.000 is the estimate for the current fiscal year. That estimate was made sometime ago, and I think it would be scaled down considerably. Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. Mr. TABER. Probably $10,000,000. Mr. ALTMEYER. I think So. Mr. TABER. Do you know how those taxes are running currently? Mr. ALTMEYER. I do not have the current figures here. Mr. TABER. Do you know what the States are collecting currently? Do you have any reports that would show that? Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir; but I do not have them with me. They have been collecting a little more than is being paid out. The total in the fund to the credit of the States is over $750,000,000. Mr. TABER. How do they operate that proposition? Do they operate it on the basis of the States turning into the Federal Government all the money they collect, and then being given the money back as they need it for payments, or do they disburse money and only return the surplus after making the current expenditures? Mr. ALTMEYER. No, sir; the law requires them to promptly remit the tax collections. Mr. TABER. The States turn it over to the Federal Government. Mr. TABER. What part of the law tells them to do that? Mr. ALTMEYER. On page 23 of the law you will find that section 903 (a), paragraph 3, reads as follows: All money received in the unemployment fund shall immediately, upon such receipt, be paid over to the Secretary of the Treasury to the credit of the unemployment trust fund established by section 904. Mr. TABER. Witdrawals by the States for this particular purpose run how much, since the start? Mr. ALTMEYER. About $118.000.000. Mr. TABER. That means that the average payment is about what? Mr. ALTMEYER. About $10 per check. There are about 10,500,000 checks issued. Mr. TABER. Some of the States seem to be on a much smaller basis than that. Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. Mr. TABER. Some run as low as $4.50. UNEMPLOYMENT-INSURANCE DISBURSEMENTS Mr. TABER. Have you any schedule that would show how unemployment insurance has been running from month to month, or that would show the disbursements? Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. Mr. TABER. Do you have that with you? Mr. ALTMEYER. No, sir; it has been growing each month. It started very small in January, and it is up to about $20,000,000, I believe, for this last month. Mr. TABER. About $20,000,000 per month? Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. Mr. TABER. The payments are running about how many? Mr. ALTMEYER. There are probably between 700,000 and 800,000 individuals receiving weekly checks. Mr. TABER. That would be approximately $8.000.000 per week, would it not? Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. Mr. TABER. Four times eight are 32, or it used to be. Mr. ALTMEYER. I said about 700,000 or 800,000. It might go up to as much as $35,000,000. I said an average of about $10, but it is a little less than that. Mr. TABER. Now, this Treasury statement indicates withdrawals out of the unemployment-insurance fund of $118,000,000 down to May 3. Mr. ALTMEYER. They have probably drawn between $15,000,000 and $20,000,000 more than they have actually paid out to the recipients of benefits. Mr. TABER. I do not know what your total receipts have been, but I gather that the total receipts for the years 1937 and 1938 have been somewhere around $770,000,000. According to the Treasury statement, the notes outstanding, instead of being $750,000,000, are $669,000,000, approximately; would there be a difference there? Mr. ALTMEYER. There is about $750,000,000 in that fund at the present time. If you subtract the withdrawals by the States for the payment of unemployment compensation benefits, you will have to count in as receipts not only the cash received from the States, but the interest earnings on the funds. Mr. TABER. As accrued interest. Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. Mr. TABER. Do we not give credit for that currently every 6 months, or something like that? Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. Mr. TABER. That would not be very much. Now, have you anything to indicate your allotments to the States for the unemployment insurance administration's expenses? Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir: that has already been filed showing them through the third quarter, with the fourth quarter estimated. Mr. TABER. Then, you have a set-up for the fiscal year 1937-38 ? I do not know what you mean by that. Do you mean this current fiscal year? Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. Mr. TAPER. Down to February 28, you had allocated $18.000.000. Is that about right? Mr. ALTMEYER. It is more than that. Mr. TABER. To February 28? Mr. ALTMEYER. Is that the total column that you are looking at? (The table referred to is as follows:) Federal grants to the States for administration of unemployment compensation laws and for expansion of State employment services: Advances certified1 to the Treasury Department by the Social Security Board for the fiscal year 1937-38 and for the quarter ending Mar. 31, 1938 [Data from Bureau of Accounts and Audits of the Social Security Board as of Feb. 28, 1938] State Advances of Federal funds certified to the Treasury Department by the Total Alabama. Alaska $29, 107, 482.95 $18,086, 991, 60 $8, 443, 111.63 $11,020, 488, 35 34, 212, 766, 22 Arizona Arkansas. California. Colorado. Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia. 262,717.40 Florida. 72, 185, 19 93, 391.62 209.851.72 968, 076, 71 138, 852. 14 103, 173, 72 153, 487. 71 450, 745, 06 361,322.52 537, 753. 57 2, 013, 884. 14 389,668.74 691, 650, 35 186,020.97 159, 716. 35 84.939. 22 65, 306, 57 89.864.83 291, 505.95 334.027.29 36, 415, 45 5, 126 9.57 772, 747.03 84,941, 24 294, 935. 28 144, 350. 74 487,319.50 4, 780, 679. 26 397.127.88 202.934. 41 43, 444. 51 157, 324, 02 72, 185, 19 93, 391. 62 209,851, 72 626,794.84 108, 188.95 103, 172, 72 153.487.71 278,781. 23 199, 695, 21 319.986. 82 1, 260, 368, 44 389.668.74 437, 534. 10 116. 159. 08 159, 716. 35 84.939. 22 65, 306, 57 89, 864.83 201, 419.39 334, 027. 29 36.415. 45 2,472, 25.90 467,214. 69 84, 941. 24 294.935. 25 144, 350. 74 379,846,98 2,599, 912. 13 273, 475. 02 177, 340, 24 43, 444. 51 144, 740, 43 5,258.85 51, 199. 42 45, 607. 76 912, 583, 58 25, 019. 20 288, 124.03 31.771.82 110, 450, 53 49.892.00 58,753. 38 16.072.30 37,0:8 49 68. 234, 84 353, 053. 35 50.363.28 34,093.86 57,994.93 122, 229. 28 107,568, 65 193,599.92 699, 393.57 131, 737.43 229, 254.73 52, 295.87 32, 212.05 32, 128.33 13.543. 01 16, 232, 67 74. 122. 43 144, 852. 23 12. 270.71 1.029, 334. 63 251, 753. 30 21,982.40 179, 431. 55 56, 141.63 217.283.60 1,038, 461.99 143, 818. 72 77, 159.66 14,963. 42 1 Advances certified by the Social Security Board as of the given date for the given period of operation, which is not necessarily the period in which certification was made. Federal grants to the States for administration of unemployment compensation laws and for expansion of State employment services: Advances certified to the Treasury Department by the Social Security Board for the fiscal year 1937-38 and for the quarter ending Mar. 31, 1938—Continued State Advances of Federal funds certified to the Treasury Department by the Mr. TABER. Yes; the total column. It shows $29,000,000. Is that the figure? Mr. ALTMEYER. It is $29,000,000. Mr. TABER. For the period Mr. ALTMEYER (interposing). As of February 28. Mr. TABER. That was for the first 10 months, was it not? I refer to the $29,000,000. Mr. ALTMEYER. For 8 months. Mr. TABER. For the first 8 months? Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. Mr. TABER. That would be $3,625,000 per month. Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. Mr. TABER. Have you anything to show what the allotments have been since February 28, by months? Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. Mr. TABER. Do you have that with you? Mr. ALTMEYER. February 28 does not carry through a completed quarter. You would have to carry it through to March 31. We have figures here for the various quarters of the present fiscal year. The total for the first three quarters through March 31 is $30,165,000. Mr. TABER. Through March 31, the total is $30,165,000. Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. I can give that broken down by quarters: For the first quarter, the amount was $5,826,000; for the second quarter, $10,600,000; and for the third quarter, $13,700,000. We can file that statement by States, if you wish. Mr. TABER. I would like to have you do that. You have already put this statement in the record, have you not? Mr. ALTMEYER. Yes, sir. Mr. LUDLOW. Would you like to have the other table go in the record? Mr. TABER. Yes. Mr. LUDLOW. You may put that in the record. (The tables appear at pp. 8, 42.) |