THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 1978
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QUALIFYING AGE FOR OLD AGE ALLOWANCE TO BE LOWERED
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THE GOVERNMENT IS TO LOWER THE AGE OF ELIGIBILITY FOR THE OLD AGE ALLOWANCE FROM 75 TO 70 IN ONE STEP WITH EFFECT FROM OCTOBER 1 THIS YEAR.
ANNOUNCING THIS TODAY, THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE (GENERAL), MR. LU YU-HUA, SAID IT REPRESENTED YET ANOTHER IMPROVEMENT TO BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF THE ELDERLY.
EARLIER THIS YEAR, HE SAID, THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY INTRODUCED AN OLD AGE SUPPLEMENT FOR PEOPLE AGED OVER 60 WHO ARE RECEIVING PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, AND HAS EXTENDED THE OLD AGE ALLOWANCE TO INCLUDE OLD PEOPLE LIVING IN INSTITUTIONS.
HE SAID THE LOWERING OF THE QUALIFYING AGE WOULD IMMEDIATELY RENDER AN ADDITIONAL 74,000 PERSONS ESTIMATED TO BE IN THE 70-74 AGE GROUP ELIGIBLE FOR THE OLD AGE ALLOWANCE.
+ASSUMING AN INITIAL TAKE-UP RATE OF 65 PER CENT OR 48,000 APPLICANTS, IT WILL REPRESENT A 73 PER CENT INCREASE ON THE PRESENT CLIENTELE OF 66,000 NOW RECEIVING THE ALLOWANCE,+ HE SAID.
MR. LU SAID THOSE WHO WERE ELIGIBLE COULD NOW APPLY, BUT BECAUSE OF THE EXPECTED INCREASE IN THE CASELOAD, THERE MIGHT BE SOME INITIAL DELAYS IN PROCESSING THE NEW APPLICATIONS.
HOWEVER, HE GAVE THE ASSURANCE THAT THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT WOULD MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO EFFECT PAYMENTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER THE DATE OF IMPLEMENTATION.
WHERE DELAYS CANNOT BE AVOIDED, HE POINTED OUT THAT SUCH CASES WOULD EVENTUALLY RECEIVE PAYMENTS BACK-DATED TO THE DATE OF APPLICATION AFTER OCTOBER 1.
+SHOULD THIS HAPPEN, PRIORITY WILL BE GIVEN TO APPLICANTS WITH THE GREATEST NEEDS, THAT IS THOSE WHO ARE ON PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, + HE ADDED.
TO FACILITATE PROCESSING, HE ADVISED THAT APPLICANTS SHOULD APPLY IN WRITING TO ANY OF THE DEPARTMENT'S 26 SOCIAL SECURITY FIELD UNITS IN OR NEAR THE IR DISTRICT,
APPLICANTS WOULD THEN BE NOTIFIED OF A DATE FOR INTERVIEW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTERWARDS, HE SAID.
+IF ANY APPLICANT IS CONFINED TO BED OR CANNOT TRAVEL TO ANY OF OUR OFFICES, HE CAN INFORM US AND A SOCIAL WORKER WILL CALL AT HIS HOME TO PROCESS HIS APPLICATION,+ HE ADDED.
THE OLD AGE ALLOWANCE IS NON-MEANS-TESTED AND DESIGNED TO PROVIDE OLD PEOPLE WITH SOME DEGREE OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO ENABLE THEIR FAMILIES TO CONTINUE CARING FOR THEM. THE PRESENT RATE IS $100 A MONTH.
WR. LU SAID .....