§ 111-14. Application for benefits under Article; investigation and award by county commissioners. - North Carolina Statutes

§ 111‑14. Application for benefits under Article; investigation and award by countycommissioners.

Any person claiming benefits under this Article shall file with thecommissioners of the county in which he or she is residing an application inwriting, in duplicate, upon forms prescribed by the Department of Health andHuman Services. This application shall be accompanied by a certificate signedby a reputable physician licensed to practice medicine in the State who isactively engaged in the treatment of diseases of the human eye or by anoptometrist, whichever the individual may select, stating that the applicant isblind. This application may be made on the behalf of any blind person by theDepartment of Health and Human Services or by any other person. The board ofcounty commissioners shall cause an investigation to be made by a qualifiedperson designated as its agent for this purpose and shall pass upon theapplication without delay, determine the eligibility of the applicant, andallow or disallow the relief sought. In passing upon the application, the boardof county commissioners may take into consideration the facts set forth in theapplication and any other facts that are deemed necessary, and may at any timerequire an additional examination of the applicant's eyes by an ophthalmologistdesignated by the Department of Health and Human Services. When satisfied withthe merits of the application, the board of county commissioners shall allowthe application and grant to the applicant any proper relief according to therules established by the Commission for the Blind. (1937, c. 124, s. 3; 1939, c. 124; 1951, c. 319, s. 1;1957, c. 674; 1973, c. 476, s. 143; 1997‑443, s. 11A.118(a); 2000‑121,s. 12.)