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Requirements of disregarded earnings (DE) under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance
(CSSA) Scheme will be relaxed from December 1, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said today (November 29).
The Chief Executive announced in October in the 2007-08 Policy Address that the Government would relax the current restrictions on DE under the CSSA Scheme in December this year. The SWD will implement the following two measures from December 1:
(1) Relaxing the eligibility requirement for DE benefits from having to be a CSSA recipient for not less than three months to not less than two months.
All categories of recipients who have been on CSSA for not less than two months on or after December 1, 2007, are eligible for DE benefits.
(2) Raising the amount of monthly earnings from employment that can be totally disregarded from $600 to $800.
The amount of monthly earnings from employment that can be totally disregarded is raised from $600 to $800 for all recipients benefiting from monthly DE. In other words, the first $800 of a recipient's monthly earnings and half of the remaining monthly earnings can be disregarded up to a maximum of $2,500.
The provision of DE under the CSSA Scheme aims to encourage CSSA recipients to find and maintain employment and to help them move from welfare to self-reliance. DE refers to the earnings from employment that are disregarded when assessing the amount of assistance payable to a CSSA recipient.
For enquiries, CSSA applicants or recipients can contact the departmental hotline at 2343 2255 or their social security field units.
Ends/Thursday, November 29, 2007
Issued at HKT 11:22
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