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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1980
$44.7 MILLION PAID IN SOCIAL SECURITY IN SEPTEMBER
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THE 22 PER CENT INCREASE IN SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENT RATES EFFECTIVE LAST MONTH HAS BOOSTED THE TOTAL PAYMENTS IN SEPTEMBER TO A RECORD HIGH OF $44.7 MILLION.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY THE AMOUNT WAS $8 MILLION MORE THAN IN JANUARY THIS YEAR AND REPRESENTED AN AVERAGE DAILY PAYOUT OF $1.5 MILLION.
IT BROUGHT TO $351 MILLION THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF NON-CONTRIBUTORY SOCIAL SECURITY CASH BENEFITS PAID OUT IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF THIS YEAR.
THE PAYMENTS WENT TO 300 000 PEOPLE. OF THE AMOUNT PAID OUT, $17.9 MILLION WERE FOR PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, $19.9 MILLION FOR OLD AGE ALLOWANCE AND $6.9 MILLION FOR DISABILITY ALLOWANCE.
THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED THAT THE MEANS-TESTED PUBLIC ASSISTANCE SCHEME PROVIDES MONTHLY CASH PAYMENT TO HELP MAINTAIN THE INCOME OF AN INDIVIDUAL OR A HOUSEHOLD IN NEED UP TO A LEVEL WHERE BASIC LIVING CAN BE MET. THE SCHEME IS ALSO BUILT IN WITH SUPPLEMENTS TO PROVIDE EXTRA GRANTS FOR THOSE RECIPIENTS AGED 60 OR OVER, OR PARTIALLY DISABLED.
IN ADDITION, AN ANNUAL PAYMENT IS MADE TO LONG-TERM RECIPIENTS.
OLD AGE AND DISABILITY ALLOWANCES ARE NON-MEANS-TESTED AND PROVIDE A MONTHLY CASH GRANT, ON TOP OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, TO MEET SPECIAL NEEDS ARISING OUT OF OLD AGE AND DISABILITY.
AT PRESENT, HE SAID, THE DEPARTMENT'S 26 SOCIAL SECURITY FIELD UNITS HANDLED 45 000 PUBLIC ASSISTANCE CASES, 150 000 OLD AGE ALLOWANCE CASES AND 24 300 DISABILITY ALLOWANCE CASES.
THE CURRENT PAYMENT RATES FOR SINGLE PERSONS ARE $280 A MONTH AS PUBLIC ASSISTANCE OR DISABILITY ALLOWANCE= $140 A MONTH AS OLD AGE ALLOWANCE, OLD AGE SUPPLEMENT OR DISABILITY SUPPLEMENT- AND $355 A YEAR AS LONG-TERM SUPPLEMENT (OR $700 A YEAR FOR A FAMILY).
INDIVIDUALS OR FAMILIES WITHOUT INCOME OR UNABLE TO EARN ENOUGH FOR BASIC LIVING, OR THOSE IN NEED OF SPECIAL NEEDS ALLOWANCE, CAN APPLY AT THE NEAREST FAMILY SERVICES CENTRE, OR SOCIAL SECURITY FILED UNIT OF THE DEPARTMENT IN THE DISTRICTS.
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