Show INCOME FROM LABOR IN AG NOT deductible FROM OLD AGE assistance GRANTS procedures to be followed in applying provisions of a new state law HB exempting income earned in agriculture from deduction from grants to recipients of old age assistance is outlined in instructions received during the week at the iron county welfare office miss mamie C eyck director reported the instructions prepared and issued by the public welfare commission include copies of HB public law 45 the federal act permitting recipients of old age assistance si to work as agricultural laborers laboz ers without having their grants discontinued or reduced because of such earnings in an opinion given to the public welfare commission the state attorney general ruled it was undoubtedly the intention of the legislature to make our old age assistance laws conform to public law 45 HB directs that the state department of public welfare shall neither make allow nor permit any reductions in assistance payments to recipients or old age assistance because of income received earned or arising from agricultural labor performed by the recipient these provisions become effective on april 1 1945 and continue in effect un til the end of six months after the termination of hostilities in the pres ent war as proclaimed by the president of the united states outlining the he procedures to be followed in implementing provisions of the new law the instructions emphasized pha sized that 1 only those individuals who actually were paid old age assistance in july 1943 may qualify 2 the amount of the grant of those who qualify and earn exempted agricultural income must be cut back to the amount paid laid in july 1943 3 agricultural labor is defined as services performed in connection with the raising and harvesting of agricultural commodities either as an employee or otherwise 4 services performed in connection with processing canning or freezing in commercial plants are not included in the definition or agricultural ri labor and therefore may not be exempted from deduction from the grant paid while the state law does not specifically restrict qualifications only to those persons receiving old age assistance in july 1943 commission chairman sophus bertelson explained nor prescribe that grants must be cut back to the amount paid in july 1943 it carries the qualifying phrase as permitted under public law 45 congress first sessi session ont or other acts of congress the attorney general has ruled that it is the duty of the department to reduce the grants to what they were on july 1 1943 in order to fully comply with the provisions of public law no 45 public law no 45 is a joint resolution passed by congress in 1943 it provides that notwithstanding provisions of the social security act relating to federal participation in in state payments of old age assistance requiring that all income and resources shall be taken into consideration federal grants in aid shall not be withheld from a state because that state fails to take into consideration any income and resources sources arising from agricultural labor further it provides that in order to qualify under its provisions payments to recipients shall be at a rate not in excess of the rate or old age assistance paid during the month of july 1943 state law refers simply to agricultural labor mr bertelson continued in practical application the term agricultural labor given the US internal revenue code the definition eniti adopted by the social security board in implementing public law 45 11 A brief statement of the provisions under the law is to be enclosed with each old age assistance check to be mailed to recipients in april the commission revealed in addition to the statement of the qualifying pro visions the recipient if he is interested in taking a advantage of the plan will be urged to secure additional information about the matter from the county welfare office we are most anxious mr bertelson telson said to avoid any misunderstanding of the provisions under this law there are restrictions which u unless made clear could cause bitter bitte r disappointment to the recipients we should dislike greatly to have to reduce an individuals old age assistance or declare him ineligible as a result of a misconception on his part of the rights given him under the law state welfare officials were r reluctant to attempt any estimate of the probable effect of the new law on the caseload case load and expenditure in the old age assistance program it was explained that only such income from agricultural labor as defined and which is earned on or after april 1 1945 can be exempted under provision of the law in this respect therefore the new policy would not increase grants by restoring any prior deductions because of agricultural labor income there will be some reductions in the amount of grants of those wishing to engage in agricultural ri work since the law requires a cut back of the amounts to the level of july 1943 the average old age assistance payment in the state as a whole in july 1943 was in february 1945 it was the average in iron county in july 1943 was in 1945 it was As to the number that might take advantage of the opportunity to augment their personal resources under tro provision vision of HB officials said that there just is no basis for reliable estimates it was pointed out in this connection that the medium age of recipients of old age assistance in the state is 75 years three out of five of the recipients today are women one half of cf the males are 75 years of age or over one third are 70 to 74 years old and less than one fourth are between 65 and 69 years old because of the exclusion in the definition of agricultural labor of canning and other processing work fewer women probably will be able to take aa advantage vantage of the provision of the law than otherwise would have been expected mr bertelson said it was explained that nearly one half of the recipients of old age assistance in the state live in urban salt lake and weber counties where the opportunity for agricultural labor is lower than in the rural areas the effect of HB in urban areas likely will be relatively less important then in other areas county director miss eyck said that there are recipients of old age assistance in this county about 52 per cent of these are women among male recipients 42 per cent are 75 years of age or older 33 per cent are between 70 and 74 and 25 23 per cent are between 65 and 69 years of age mr and mrs thomas bettridge and family of caliente nevada visited here for a day during the week with mr Bett ridges mother matilda bettridge and other members of the family miss barbara miller of panguitch was here last week end and attended the memorial service for earl D hyatt on sunday the parowan carowan chapters purebred chester white boar is now ready for service contact either jimmie benson or mr air brown at the high school |