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A one-off additional payment will be made to recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) and recipients of Disability Allowance (DA) and Old Age Allowance (OAA) under the Social Security Allowance (SSA) tomorrow (September 5).
A Social Welfare Department spokesman said that the money would be paid through the existing CSSA or SSA payment method, that is, through bank payment credited to designated bank accounts. Welfare recipients are not required to make application for the one-off additional payment.
The amount of one-off additional payment for CSSA recipients is equivalent to one month¡¦s standard rate payable according to different categories of recipients (such as elderly persons, children or able-bodied adults) under the CSSA Scheme. The amount of one-off payment for DA recipients is equivalent to one month's DA and the amount for OAA recipients is equivalent to two months¡¦ OAA.
During the question and answer session at the Legislative Council on July 16, 2008, the Chief Executive announced a package of relief measures, one of which was to provide one additional month of the standard rate for CSSA recipients, one additional month of allowance for DA recipients, and two additional months of allowance for OAA recipients.
The Finance Committee of the Legislative Council approved a financial allocation of $1.8 billion on July 18, 2008, for implementing the measure.
Taken together with the measures announced by the Financial Secretary in the 2008/09 Budget in February, a total of two months¡¦ standard rate and DA will have been paid to CSSA and DA recipients respectively, while an amount equivalent to over six months¡¦ OAA will have been paid to OAA recipients this year to share with them the fruits of economic prosperity and to ease recent inflationary pressures.
For enquiries, welfare recipients can call the Social Welfare Department's hotline 2343 2255 or their social security field units.
Ends/Thursday, September 4, 2008
Issued at HKT 16:01
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