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The Social Welfare Department (SWD) generally accepted the Ombudsman's recommendations on the Disability Allowance scheme and would set up an inter-departmental working group jointly with the Labour and Welfare Bureau, Hospital Authority and Department of Health to conduct a comprehensive review of the scheme's implementation details, which is expected to finish in six to nine months.
"The Social Welfare Department has previously worked with the Hospital Authority a number of times to improve the guidelines, forms and procedures of the medical assessment concerned," a spokesman for the department said today (October 29).
"The recommendations in the present Ombudsman's investigation report pinpointed that SWD should fine-tune the eligibility criteria for Disability Allowance, revise the Medical Assessment Form (MAF), and refine the internal guidelines to clearly reflect the original intent of the policy and facilitate assessment work, improve the assessment mechanism and procedures, increase transparency, enhance the objectiveness and consistencies of the assessment, clarify the roles of relevant departments (i.e. SWD, Hospital Authority and Department of Health), and strengthen their co-ordination. SWD, Labour and Welfare Bureau, Hospital Authority and Department of Health will set up an inter-departmental working group to follow these up."
The spokesman explained that the vetting of applications for Disability Allowance was carried out in accordance with an established mechanism. Doctors of public hospitals/clinics and SWD had co-operated and played their respective roles, with doctors being responsible for professional assessment in the medical aspect based on the criteria listed in MAF and SWD staff for non-medical assessment.
"If the information in MAF is doubtful or obviously self-contradictory and inconsistent, Social Welfare Department staff will seek clarification from doctors to ensure accuracy."
Unlike the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA), Disability Allowance is a kind of non-means-tested welfare catering for the special needs of people with severe disabilities, irrespective of their employment status and income. For people with financial hardship, including the disabled, they can apply for CSSA, where necessary, to meet their basic needs. In general, CSSA provides a higher monthly payment than Disability Allowance.
Ends/Thursday, October 29, 2009
Issued at HKT 11:13
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