Delaware General Assembly


CHAPTER 135

FORMERLY HOUSE BILL NO. 96

AS AMENDED BY HOUSE AMENDMENTS NO. 1 AND 2

AN ACT TO AMEND CHAPTER 5, TITLE 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE, PERTAINING TO THE STATE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE CODE.

WHEREAS, because federal assistance under the Social Security Act and for State assistance under this Title are inter-related through the State's "Standard of Need"; and

WHEREAS, under present circumstances recipients of State old age assistance, aid to the blind and aid to the permanently and totally disabled may be placed under severe hardship and disadvantage when Social Security benefits are increased because the , State's "Standard of Need" for these categories of recipients are not increased by a similar amount; and

WHEREAS, it is the purpose and intention of this Act to eliminate these hardships and to provide that when any Social Security increase is given, that recipients of State old age assistance, aid to the blind and aid to the permanently and totally disabled will receive the full benefits of such increase.

NOW, THEREFORE:

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Delaware:

Section 1. Amend Section 502, Chapter 5, Title 31 of the Delaware Code, by adding thereto a new definition, which shall read as follows:

"Standard of Need" shall mean the subsistence level for a decent and healthful standard of living as set under Section 503 of this chapter.

Section 2. Amend Section 508, Title 31 of the Delaware Code, by adding thereto the following paragraph:

The Standard of Need for old age assistance, aid and services to needy families with children, aid to the blind, or aid to the permanently and totally disabled shall be adjusted upward simultaneously with any percentage increase in Old Age Survivors Disability Insurance as provided by Title 11 of the Social Security Act, as amended. The dollar amount of increased adjustment of this Standard of Need shall be the same as the dollar adjustment of the increase in Old Age Survivors Disability Insurance.

Approved June 18, 1971.