XN000022-1981-08-05 — Page 4

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1981

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COMPENSATION FOR PNEUMOCONIOSIS SUFFERERS

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SOME $3 345 000 WILL BE PAID OUT IN THE NEAR FUTURE BY THE PNEUMOCONIOSIS COMPENSATION FUND TO ABOUT 100 PEOPLE SUFFER ING FROM THE LUNG DISEASE, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, MR HO SAI-CHU, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

FINANCED BY LEVIES FROM CONSTRUCTION AND QUARRY WORKS, THE FUND IS ADMINISTERED BY THE PNEUMOCONIOSIS COMPENSATION FUND BOARD.

YESTERDAY (TUESDAY), $345 000 WAS ALREADY PAID OUT TO EIGHT PEOPLE, THE FIRST PAYMENT SINCE THE PNEUMOCONIOSIS COMPENSATION ORDINANCE CAME INTO EFFECT ON JANUARY 1.

SOME $3 000 000 MORE WILL BE PAID TO ABOUT 90 OTHERS.

MR HO SAID THE ORDINANCE APPLIES TO ANY PERSON, INCLUDING THOSE WHO ARE SELF-EMPLOYED OR UNEMPLOYED, DIAGNOSED AS SUFFERING FROM PNEUMOCONIOSIS ON OR AFTER JANUARY 1.

THE AMOUNT OF COMPENSATION FOR TOTAL (100 PER CENT) PERMANENT INCAPACITY IS BASED ON THE AGE OF A PNEUMOCON LOTIC.

THE LEVELS OF COMPENSATION ARE BELOW 40 YEARS OF AGE, 96 MONTHS' EARNINGS 40 TO BELOW 56, 72 MONTHS AND 56 AND ABOVE, 48 MONTHS, SUBJECT TO A MAXIMUM OF $192 000 AND A MINIMUM OF $64 000.

FOR PERMANENT PARTIAL INCAPACITY, THE AMOUNT IS A PERCENTAGE OF COMPENSATION PAYABLE FOR 100 PER CENT INCAPACITY.

COMPENSATION FOR DEATH, MR HO CONTINUED, ALSO DEPENDS ON THE AGE AND MONTHLY EARNINGS OF THE DECEASED AND THE DEGREE OF DEPENDENCY OF DEPENDANTS.

COMPENSATION FOR DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS IS: BELOW 40, 84 MONTHS' EARNINGS- 40 TO BELOW 56, 60 MONTHS AND 56 AND ABOVE, 36 MONTHS, SUBJECT TO A MAXIMUM OF $168 000 AND A MINIMUM OF $56 000.

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