Forwards

The Old-Age Farmers’ Welfare Allowance was implemented by the government to improve the life quality of the aged farmers, considering the fact that no old-age pension benefit is in place for the participants of the Farmers’ Health Insurance program, whilst such insurance coverage is provided to all military personnel, civil servants, teachers and labors who have attended the relevant insurance programs. On May 31, 1995, therefore, the government promulgated the Temporary Statute of the Old-Age Farmers’ Welfare Allowance, based on which a monthly payment of NT$3,000, has been paid since June 1, 1995. It is specifically prescribed in the Statute that individuals who have received old-age benefits from other social insurance programs are not qualified for the Old-Age Farmers’ Welfare Allowance. At a later stage, the government further included aged fishermen into the insurance coverage and addressed to the issue that some of the farmers had been excluded from the Old-Age Farmers’ Welfare Allowance simply because they had received a meager old-age benefit from other social insurance programs in the early years. On November 11, 1998, therefore, the regulations were relaxed to offer the Old-Age Farmers’ Welfare Allowance to all Class-A members of the Fishermen’s Associations who have enrolled in the Farmers’ Health Insurance Program or the Labor Insurance before November 12, 1998 and have received the old-age benefits from the relevant social insurance programs. The Class-A members of the Fishermen’s Associations who enroll in the Farmers’ Health Insurance Program or the Labor Insurance after November 13, 1998, however, are not eligible to the Allowance.
Also, to ensure effective utilization of the nation’s resources and maintain social justice, a regulatory change was made on December 21, 2011 to incorporate a wealth exclusion clause. The purpose is to render proper support to those elderly farmers who are genuinely disadvantaged in finance. To allow sufficient time to communicate about this with the farmers, fishermen and the public, the government has provided a one-year buffer period. The new regulations, therefore, are applicable to those individuals who apply for the old-age farmers’ welfare allowance after January 1, 2013. To further improve quality of life for farmers who have been making practical contributions to agricultural development for many years, the government has, as of July 16, 2014, increased the seniority requirement for the old-age farmers’ welfare allowance from 6 months to 15 years. Other qualification requirements are that the applicant must be a citizen of the R.O.C. who has his or her legal domicile therein and has stayed in the country for over 183 days in each of the last three years.