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Public Assistance recipients to get more flexible help, higher payouts
AsiaOne
Friday, Mar 01, 2013
SINGAPORE - From April 1, Public Assistance (PA) recipients can look forward to a higher level of assistance that is flexible and customised to their needs.
The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) will enhance the PA scheme by providing additional tiers of assistance, while at the same time increasing the cash assistance rates in the primary tier.
The current PA scheme provides recipients with a uniform cash allowance for different household sizes. While the allowance meets the needs of the majority of PA households, there is a small but increasing group who have special needs and therefore struggle with the additional costs of essential items.
To better support this group, on top of the primary tier of cash assistance, MSF will introduce two additional tiers of assistance in the PA scheme to defray these expenses.
These tiers will allow greater and more flexible help to the needy with special or once-off needs. For example, additional assistance will be provided to those who need healthcare and hygiene consumables such as adult diapers and nutritional milk supplements, or those who need once-off purchase or replacement of equipment such as a commode.
MSF said they expect about one-third of existing PA households to benefit from the additional tiers of assistance.
In addition, the rate for the primary tier of cash assistance for all PA households will be increased. The increase will range from $50 per month for a one-person PA household to $130 per month for a four-person PA household.
PA households with dependent children will continue to receive additional cash assistance.
This revision is part of the regular review of basic cash assistance rates to ensure that they are adequate to meet the needs of PA households.
PA households will continue to enjoy free medical treatment in polyclinics and government/restructured hospitals and free or highly subsidised access to a wide range of social services such as home help and day activity centres funded by the government.
In addition, PA recipients will continue to benefit from the supplementary assistance provided by community-based agencies, for example, festive hampers, cash gifts and food rations.
[email protected]
AsiaOne
Friday, Mar 01, 2013
SINGAPORE - From April 1, Public Assistance (PA) recipients can look forward to a higher level of assistance that is flexible and customised to their needs.
The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) will enhance the PA scheme by providing additional tiers of assistance, while at the same time increasing the cash assistance rates in the primary tier.
The current PA scheme provides recipients with a uniform cash allowance for different household sizes. While the allowance meets the needs of the majority of PA households, there is a small but increasing group who have special needs and therefore struggle with the additional costs of essential items.
To better support this group, on top of the primary tier of cash assistance, MSF will introduce two additional tiers of assistance in the PA scheme to defray these expenses.
These tiers will allow greater and more flexible help to the needy with special or once-off needs. For example, additional assistance will be provided to those who need healthcare and hygiene consumables such as adult diapers and nutritional milk supplements, or those who need once-off purchase or replacement of equipment such as a commode.
MSF said they expect about one-third of existing PA households to benefit from the additional tiers of assistance.
In addition, the rate for the primary tier of cash assistance for all PA households will be increased. The increase will range from $50 per month for a one-person PA household to $130 per month for a four-person PA household.
PA households with dependent children will continue to receive additional cash assistance.
This revision is part of the regular review of basic cash assistance rates to ensure that they are adequate to meet the needs of PA households.
PA households will continue to enjoy free medical treatment in polyclinics and government/restructured hospitals and free or highly subsidised access to a wide range of social services such as home help and day activity centres funded by the government.
In addition, PA recipients will continue to benefit from the supplementary assistance provided by community-based agencies, for example, festive hampers, cash gifts and food rations.
[email protected]
