The bill proposes to repeal and replace section 209.040 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri, which pertains to blind pensions. The new section establishes specific criteria for determining eligibility for a blind pension, defining "blind" as having vision that cannot be corrected to better than five two-hundredths in the better eye or having a visual field of five degrees or less. It mandates that individuals must undergo a scientific vision test conducted by an approved ophthalmologist, physician, or optometrist to qualify for the pension. Additionally, the bill changes the reexamination requirement from every fifth year to every seventh year, with provisions for earlier reexaminations if the department suspects a change in eligibility. Furthermore, the bill clarifies that individuals deemed to have no usable vision in the better eye are exempt from the seven-year reexamination requirement but may still be reexamined at the department's request. It also stipulates that the monthly pension amount will be determined by the General Assembly, with a minimum set at $340, and outlines the conditions under which pensions will not be payable, such as if the individual is receiving federal supplemental security income or general relief assistance. The bill includes provisions for adjusting the pension based on the financial status of the blind pension fund and requires the Department of Social Services to provide projected estimates for the pension payments in its budget requests.

Statutes affected:
Introduced (6379H.01): 209.040