OLD-AGE PENSIONS

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 122, 26 May 1930, Page 8

OLD-AGE PENSIONS

A MOVE IN AMERICA

NEW YORK STATE PROVISION

(From "The Post's" Representative.) NEW YORK, Ist May.

Tiio State of New York has adopted the old-age pension. The Bill,' passed last week, adopts the Canadian age limit of 70 years, which makes the pension payable five years later than in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Tho new law takes effect from to-day, but pensions will not be paid till next January.

A unique feature of the new law is that it does not fix a maximum or minimum amount for relief, which is to be determined wholly by the needs and circumstances of each applicant.

The relief is to be administered in the first instance by public welfare districts throughout the State out of county Mid, in some instances, city funds where cities decide to give aid to the eligible aged within their own boundaries. Half of the" cost, however, will be defrayed by the State, and the State Department of Public Welfare will exercise supervisory powers and form a tribunal to which appeals may be made in instances where differences arise between the beneficiary and the local welfare officials over tho amount of relief granted. The old age security law in a declaratory clause with which it opens makes it clear that the relief administered, is not to be regarded as a dole nor as charity in any form. CONDITIONS OF ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible for old age relief under tho new law, a person must have attained the ago of 70 years, be unable to support himself, either wholly or in part and have no children or other person to support him or bo responsible under the present law for his sup-■ P He must be a citizen of the United States and must have been a resident of the State of New York for at least ten years immediately preceding his application for old-age relief. (The Canadian law requires twenty years' residence, of which the last five must be in tho province which pays it; the. provinces bear half the cost with the Dominion, except in the case of Ontario which requires the municipalities to bear a third of the cost.) He must have been an inhabitant of the Public Welfare District within which his application is made for at least one year immediately preceding the date of the application. . He must at the time relief is granted not be an inmate of any public or private home for the aged or any public or private, custodial, correctional or curative institution, except in instances where an applicant is receiving temporary medical or surgical care m a hospital. An inmate of an institution of the character described, however, may make an application for relief, but under the terms of the new law no relief can be granted until he has ceased to be an inmate. . An applicant, to become eligible, must show that ho has not made a voluntary assignment or transfer of property so as to qualify for old-age relief. It must also be shown that.he is not, because of his physical or mental condition in need of continued institutional

In its main principles tlie new law follows the trend of British legislation, except that it regards old-age relief as not being available until tho ago of .70. Canada hesitated at the cost of paying the pension at 65; it is evident the United States has the same hesitancy. The New York law is the mosf expansive among the five States that.'have adopted old-age pensions. _ The New Zealand law, which, m cases, of necessity, advances the payment to 60 years (in the ease of females, oo years) is yet the most generously conceived, old-age pension law in the world.