Bill > HB359

This bill modifies the provisions for blind pensions in Missouri by updating the criteria and procedures for determining and maintaining eligibility. The bill changes the vision threshold for qualifying as legally blind from five two-hundredths to two two-hundredths in the better eye, and adjusts the visual field requirement to five degrees or less. It extends the mandatory reexamination period from every five years to every seven years, though individuals with no usable vision may be exempt from routine reexaminations. The bill maintains that pension recipients must have a scientific vision test certified by an ophthalmologist, physician, or optometrist approved by the Department of Social Services. Recipients must be ineligible for federal Supplemental Security Income and not receiving general relief assistance. The monthly pension amount will continue to be established annually by the General Assembly, with a minimum of $340. The Department of Social Services is required to submit projected estimates for pension payments, considering factors like tax revenues, fund balance, and projected eligible recipients. If funding becomes insufficient, benefits will be proportionally reduced. Medical assistance for blind recipients will continue to be administered separately from the pension fund.

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB359&year=2025&code=R