FYI: Welfare caseloads increased in 38 states during the fourth quarter of last year, the second in a row in which most states reported jumps, according to data culled from surveys by the Center for Law and Social Policy. Since March 2001 (what many consider the official start of a national recession), the national caseload has fallen three percent. New York’s caseload has dropped dramatically, by 17 percent last year. CLASP’s state-by-state caseload data is preliminary; Health and Human Services’ latest official count, tallied monthly through September 2002, is on the agency’s site. [4/4/03]