A person's chief responsibility in the situation in which he finds himself is taken
into consideration in determining eligibility for aid to the totally and permanently
disabled. An adult person has a certain place in society and a corresponding responsibility—either
responsibility to work to make a living for himself and family or responsibility for
keeping house and making a home for others.
Homemaking involves the ability to carry the home-management and decision making responsibilities,
and provide essential services within the home for at least one person in addition
to one's self. A person having such ability and the opportunity to use it, i.e., is
living in the home with one or more persons, will be considered a homemaker if performing
any duties which are usually considered necessary to homemaking: shopping for food
and supplies, cooking the food, cleaning house, washing dishes, washing and ironing
clothes, carrying fuel or water, and caring for young children. If a person is not
able because of his impairment to carry on a significant number of these duties he
will be considered totally and permanently disabled.
Consideration will be given to the person's ability to carry on normal responsibilities
such as walking, standing, bending, lifting, etc. These physical capacities along
with mental capacity to make use of them are necessary to a person if he is to be
usefully employed.
It is recognized that some persons will make a living under the most adverse physical
conditions, because they have the will to do so. Social information will bring out
such possibilities. As to homemaking, it may be entirely possible for a person to
carry on necessary homemaking activities if the home provides conveniences and facilities
even though she be confined to a wheel chair. If the homemaker has to go out of the
house to get stovewood to make a fire in the cook stove, though, it would be impossible
for her to do so if confined to a chair.
In determining whether or not a person is disabled, it is necessary that disability
not be confused with unemployment. For example, the medical findings may indicate
that a person is capable of doing light work which is within his competence and it
is found that such light work is available in the community but no position is open
at the moment; such a person would be unemployed rather than totally and permanently
disabled. On the other hand, if medical findings indicate that a person may do light
work, but there is no such work in the community or reasonably close to it, the person
could not get a job of the nature indicated if he wanted to and would, therefore,
be totally and permanently disabled. Then, too, consideration must be given to a person's competence to do work which
may be indicated by medical findings. For example, a man who had always done physical
labor and had little education could hardly fit into a clerical job even though he
were physically able to do it.