Page 22 - 2018 Annual Report Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan

Collective Innovation Sustainable Management Unit 2: Building Agricultural Models suitable for agricultural insurance as well as a comprehensive agricultural disaster relief and insurance system, in order to minimize operational risk in agriculture and ensure the incomes of farmers and shermen. (2) Refining the farmers' insurance system The District Agricultural Research and Extension Stations of the COA will, in cooperation with relevant agencies, undertake on-the-spot surveys and conduct oral questioning and substantive reviews to determine actual cultivators of land, and, based on the issuance of certifications as farmers, actual cultivators an use these certification documents to apply to the farmers’ association for the location of their official domicile to participate in farmers’ health insurance. In order to promote occupational safety for farmers and build a more complete farmers’ social insurance system, the COA, based on amendments to the “Farmers Health Insurance Act” promulgated on June 13, 2018, began trial implementation of farmers’ occupational injury insurance as of November 1, 2018. People who are actually engaged in farming and are covered by farmers’ health insurance can apply for occupational injury insurance. When some adverse occupational incident occurs, the insured person can apply for cash payments. As of the end of 2018, a total of 90,628 farmers had taken out farmers’ occupational injury insurance. The COA also amended the “Regulations about Standards for Determinations of the Farmers Engaged in Agricultural Work and Applies to Join in Farmers’ Health Insurance Programs and Examinations of their Qualifications” and announced the “Operation Directions for Identication of the Actual Cultivator Engaged in Agricultural Production,” making it possible for actual cultivators who are farming on others’ land as a result of an oral agreement to apply to participate in farmers’ health insurance. (3) Looking out for the well- being of farmers A. The welfare allowance for elderly farmers In order to look after elderly farmers, the government issues a welfare allowance to qualified farmers 65 years of age and older. Since January 1 of 2016, the monthly allowance has been NT$7,256. In 2018 the COA paid out a total amount of NT$52.654 billion, beneting 634,225 elderly farmers. The COA also promoted the amendment of the “Provisional Act Governing the Welfare Allowance for Elderly Farmers,” so that if the land and house(s) owned by an elderly farmers have not increased, their right to apply for the welfare allowance is not affected where the declared current value of the land and the assessed standard price of the house(s) have been adjusted upward. We also added three items related to deductions 20