State Medicaid

State Medicaid

Announces Change

The State Haaltb Department today announced a change In the •oheduie for incorporating the medically-needy group in the state’s medicaid plan. Beginning January 1,1970, the Income level for this groqp will be $1700 tor the breadwinner, plus $500 for the first dependent, and $400 tor each additional dependent, rather than the originally-announced level of $2,000 plus $500 for each dependent. The change was recommended by the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Medicaid after hearing a report on first quarter operations, which indicated expenditures within appropriations but an initial enrollment about 25% above original estimates: Because of the financial implications of the higher enrollment, the Governor’s Advisory Committee recommended an intermediate step in moving into the medically-needy category; this action has been concurred in by the State Board of Health and the Governor. Medicaid was initiated in Virginia on July 1, 1969, with participation limited for the first six months to welfare recipients receiving money payment under one of the federal-state categories. At its meeting on October 29 the Department of Welfare and Institutions reported to the Advisory Committee that the number of welfare recipients had risen dramatically to 117,000 people, well above the 80,000-100,000 figure used as a basis for planning-for the first year’s operation.

Rise in Local

Pension Checks

What will the new social security legislation, liberalizing pension rates, do for residents of Rappahannock County? How much more will they be receiving from Washington per year? What will the average payment be, compared with what it was last year? It is estimated that the change in retirement benefits, approved last month by Congress, will add approximately $103,000 a year to the amount that local residents have been collecting.

The estimate is based upon the latest statistics for the county, released by the Social Security Administration. They show the

reared ^ »ud ,disabled workers, as well as dependent relatives, on the pension rolls, anti the amounts paid them.

All of them will be aided by the legislation. Those who have beer getting no more than $660 a year the minimum, will now get $759 The ones who were receiving $1,320 a year will go to $1,518. Those who have been at the $2,100 level will now collect $2,415. *

What is the most that is paid*! Under the new schedule, a workei who has just retired at age 65 and has had maximum taxable earnings will now receive $2,278 a year if single. If married and his wife is 65 or older, their total will be $3,416.

It is expected that there will be further revision in the social security laws sometime this year. In temporarily dropping the Senate’s call for a major increase in minimum payments there was a tacit understanding in Congress that this and other issues, left hanging, would be taken up in 1970.

As of the beginning of last year, pension payments in Rappahanock County averaged $763 per year per recipient, the Social Security Administration reports.

Under the new setup, they will collect approximately $877 on average.

As for the total payments throughout the local area, based upon the number who were on the pension rolls at last count, they will amount to some $787,000 this year, a considerable rise over the prior total of $684,000.