CHAPTER 288
NEEDY BLIND
AN ACT TO AMEND CHAPTER 83 OF VOLUME 45, LAWS OF DELAWARE, 1945, ENTITLED "AN ACT TO SUPPLEMENT CHAPTER 75, OF THE REVISED CODE OF DELAWARE, RELATING TO THE PUBLIC WELFARE BY PROVIDING AID TO THE NEEDY BLIND CONSISTENT WITH TITLE X OF THE FEDERAL SOCIAL SECURITY ACT", WITH REFERENCE TO AMOUNT OF ASSISTANCE, EXAMINATION BY OPHTHALMOLOGISTS OR PHYSICIANS, AND EXPENSES FOR TREATMENT.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Delaware in General Assembly met:
Section 1. That Section 4 of Chapter 83, Volume 45, Laws of Delaware, 1945, be amended by striking out and repealing all of said Section and inserting and enacting in lieu thereof a new Section 4 as follows:
"Section 4. Amount of Assistance:--The amount of assistance which any person shall receive shall be determined by the Commission with due regard to the resources and necessary expenditures of the individual and the conditions existing in each case and in accordance with the rules and regulations made by the Commission, and shall be sufficient, when added to all other income and support of the recipient, to provide such person with a' reasonable subsistence compatible with decency and health. In no case, however, shall any person receive more than Forty-five Dollars ($45.00) per month."
Section 2. That Section 5 of Chapter 83, Volume 45, Laws of Delaware, 1945, be amended by striking out and repealing all of paragraph (h) of said Section and inserting and enacting in lieu thereof a new paragraph (h) as follows:
"(h) Designate Ophthalmologists or physicians skilled in the diseases of the eye, duly licensed to practice medicine in Delaware and actively engaged in the treatment of diseases of the eye, to examine applicants and recipients of assistance to the blind;"
Section 3. That Section 8 of Chapter 83, Volume 45, Laws of Delaware, 1945, be amended by striking out and repealing all of said Section 8 and inserting and enacting in lieu thereof a new Section 8 as follows:
"Section 8. Examination by Ophthalmologists or Physicians:--No application shall be approved until the applicant has been examined by an opthalmologist or physician skilled in diseases of the eye, designated or approved by the Commission to make such examinations. The examining opthalmologist or physician shall certify in writing upon forms provided by the Commission the findings of the examination."
Section 4. That Section 14 of Chapter 83, Volume 45, Laws of Delaware, 1945, be amended by striking out, and repealing all of said Section 14 and inserting and enacting in lieu thereof a new Section 14 as follows:
"Section 14. Expenses for Treatment:--Supplementary services may be provided by the Commission to any applicant or recipient who is in need of treatment either to prevent blindness or to restore his eyesight whether or not he is blind as defined in Section 2 of this Act if he is otherwise qualified for assistance under this Act. The supplementary services may include necessary travelling and other expenses to receive treatment from a hospital, clinic, opthalmologist or physician skilled in diseases of the eye, designated by the Commission. In cases of total blindness even where the maximum amount of assistance of Forty-five Dollars ($45.00) per month is allowed, the Commission may provide additional sums for medical and nursing care where the income of the recipient from all sources, together with such help as his or her family is able to render, is insufficient to provide reasonable subsistence and medical and nursing care compatible with decency and health."
Approved April 14, 1947.