Proposed Mental Tests Weighed for Welfare Applicants

In an unusual step, Contra Costa County officials here are proposing that welfare applicants be required to take a mental health test before picking up their checks.

Advocates for the poor are threatening to sue, denouncing the plan as punitive and mean-spirited.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” said Robert Newman, an attorney for the Western Center on Law and Poverty in Los Angeles.

County officials maintain that the test is not intended as a punishment--applicants do not have to pass it to get benefits--and it has not yet been imposed. It was put on hold after the uproar and is under review.

“I guess they don’t like the fact that we’re thinking about doing this,” said John Lee, a welfare division manager for the social services department.

Giving answers that indicated a problem would simply result in the person being offered psychological help, Lee said. But refusing to take the test at all could result in a loss of benefits for up to six months.

Advocates have proposed an effort to identify recipients in need of mental health services. But they say a mandatory test would turn a helping hand into a threat.