(1) “Assistance” means money payments made to or in behalf of blind persons in need, or medical care, or both, including hospitalization, outpatient care and treatment, nursing home care, drugs or any other type of remedial care recognized under state law in behalf of blind persons in need, but does not include subdivisions (1)(A)-(1)(D) unless the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.), is amended to include one (1) or more of the following:

(A) Any such payments to or care in behalf of any individual who is an inmate of a public institution, except as a patient in a medical institution, or any individual who is a patient in an institution for tuberculosis or mental diseases;

(B) Any such payments to any individual who has been diagnosed as having tuberculosis or psychosis and is a patient in a medical institution as a result of having tuberculosis or psychosis;

(C) Any such care in behalf of any individual, who is a patient in a medical institution as a result of a diagnosis that such person has tuberculosis or psychosis, with respect to any period after the individual has been a patient in such an institution as a result of such diagnosis, for forty-two (42) days; or

(D) Is not an inmate of any private institution except such private institution as has been approved by the department at the time of receiving assistance;

(2) “Department” means the department of human services;

(3) “Ophthalmologist” means a physician licensed to practice medicine in this state and who is actively engaged in the treatment of diseases of the human eye;

(4) “Optometrist” means any person licensed to practice optometry in this state and holding a current certificate of registration;

(5) “Recipient” means a person who was receiving aid to the blind benefits during the month of December, 1973, and is now qualified under Public Law 93-66 to continue to receive a state money payment as a supplement to the federally provided supplemental security income benefits; and

(6) “Regional director” means the director of a region under chapter 1, part 1 of this title.