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In response to media questions about the handling of telephone enquiries on the Old Age Living Allowance (OALA) by the Social Welfare Department (SWD), a spokesman for the SWD today (March 8) gave the following statement:
The Social Welfare Department (SWD) has enhanced the OALA hotline services, making every effort to handle telephone enquiries made by the public.
The SWD's OALA hotline 3595 0130 (10 lines) has been in operation since last October. So far, a total of more than 40 000 calls have been received. After the SWD issued the green notification letters under Phase 1 "Auto-conversion" to some 290 000 elderly persons on February 25, the hotline has received more than 600 calls on average each day. Most of the enquiries involve the application eligibility and procedures.
In view of the surge of calls received by the hotline after the issue of the green notification letters, the SWD has enhanced the hotline services with the following measures:
1. Five additional telephone lines for the OALA hotline were installed and additional staff deployed to cope with the influx of telephone enquiries. The hotline 3595 0130 (15 lines in total) now operates from 8.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
2. The departmental hotline 2343 2255 also follows up enquiries received as appropriate.
3. Members of the public can also call the 24-hour Hotline of OALA 3142 2202 to ask about general and simple information on the OALA. This hotline, manned by 1823 of the Efficiency Unit, has already come into service.
If the departmental hotline 2343 2255 and the 24-hour Hotline of OALA 3142 2202 are unable to give immediate replies involving case-specific details of the elderly person concerned, the staff will take down the details and pass them to the department for follow-up.
The SWD will continue to closely monitor the situation of OALA enquiries made by the public to ensure that the enquiries are properly followed up.
Some frequently asked questions are available on the SWD's OALA website www.swd.gov.hk/oala . Members of the public can visit www.swd.gov.hk/oala/index_e.html#s6 for more information.
Elderly persons aged 70 or above currently receiving Higher Old Age Allowance (OAA) and not having received Normal OAA between the ages of 65 to 69, or elderly persons aged 65 or above currently receiving Normal Disability Allowance will be approached in Phase 2 "Postal Submission". The SWD will issue yellow notification letters to them on March 25 to inform them about the arrangements to apply for the OALA by post.
Ends/Friday, March 8, 2013
Issued at HKT 14:44
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