THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1983
THE NEW PAYMENT RATES PER MONTH ARE AS FOLLOWS:
PUBLIC ASSISTANCE
BASIC RATES
FOR A SINGLE PERSON
EXISTING RATE
NEW RATE
$450
$510
LIVING ALONE
FOR A FAMILY:
FIRST THREE ELIGIBLE MEMBERS
$325 EACH
NEXT THREE ELIGIBLE MEMBERS
EACH ADDITIONAL ELIGIBLE MEMBER THERE AFTER
$280 EACH $215
$370 EACH $315 EACH $245
SUPPLEMENTS
EXISTING RATE
NEW RATE
OLD AGE SUPPLEMENT (FOR ANY
$225
$255
RECIPIENT OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AGED 60 AND ABOVE)
DISABILITY SUPPLEMENT (FOR ANY PUBLIC ASSISTANCE RECIPIENT WHO IS PARTIALLY DISABLED)
$225
$255
ANNUAL, LONG-TERM SUPPLEMENT (FOR THOSE IN RECEIPT OF PUBLIC
ASSISTANCE FOR 12 MONTHS OR MORE)
(A) FOR A SINGLE PERSON
(B) FOR A FAMILY
SPECIAL NEEDS ALLOWANCES
OLD AGED ALLOWANCE
DISABILITY ALLOWANCE
$570
$645
$1 140
$1 290
$225
$450
$255
$510
AT THE SAME TIME, THE SAVINGS LIMIT UNDER THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE SCHEME WILL GO UP BY THE SAME PERCENTAGE. IT WILL BE INCREASED FROM THE $5 700 TO $6 450 FOR A SINGLE PERSON, AND FROM $3 800 TO $4 300 FOR A PERSON IN A FAMILY.
EXPLAINING HOW NEEDY PEOPLE ARE ASSISTED, THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT UNDER THE EXISTING RATES, THE BASIC RATE FOR AN ELIGIBLE FOUR-MEMBER FAMILY IS $1 255 A MONTH. WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW RATES, IT WILL BECOME $1 425 A MONTH. INCLUDING RENT, SUPPLEMENTS AND OTHER ESSENTIAL EXPENSES WHICH ARE PROVIDED SEPARATELY, A FOUR-MEMBER HOUSEHOLD ON PUBLIC ASSISTANCE CAN RECEIVE UP TO ABOUT $2 540 A MONTH.
AT THE END OF NOVEMBER, THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT HAD 54 428 PUBLIC ASSISTANCE CASES, 194 831 OLD AGE ALLOWANCE CASES AND 38 673 DISABILITY ALLOWANCE CASES ON ITS BOOKS.
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