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The Social Welfare Department (SWD) is today (March 25) issuing a yellow notification letter to about 290 000 elderly persons to inform them about the arrangements under the Phase 2 - Postal Submission arrangement of the Old Age Living Allowance (OALA).
Elderly persons who are covered under Phase 2 - Postal Submission involve: Higher Old Age Allowance (OAA) recipients aged 70 or above who have not received Normal OAA at the ages of 65 to 69; or recipients of Normal Disability Allowance (DA) aged 65 or above; or Higher OAA recipients who have not received a notification letter in the first phase.
Those who opt to apply for the OALA and have income and assets not exceeding the prescribed limits can submit their applications by filling out the "Postal Submission" Application Form and returning it to the Social Welfare Department, PO Box 2200, Kowloon Central Post Office, Kowloon, on or before December 31, 2013. Eligible elderly persons will receive a lump sum payment of the OALA (after deducting OAA/DA payment received during the corresponding period) dating back to December 1, 2012, or the date of their eligibility, whichever is the later. Payment will be credited into their designated bank accounts currently used for receiving OAA/Normal DA payment.
An SWD spokesman said that Phase 3 - New Application will commence on April 2 involving those elderly persons aged 65 or above who are not currently receiving OAA or Normal DA but are in need of the OALA. Applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria of the OALA, including income and assets as well as residence requirements.
Those aged 70 or above who opt not to switch to the OALA can apply for or continue to receive the non-means-tested Higher OAA.
The spokesman reminded elderly persons that they can apply for the OALA as scheduled and there is no need to queue up at the SWD's Social Security Field Units.
The OALA, which is being introduced under the Social Security Allowance Scheme, aims to supplement the living expenses of Hong Kong elderly persons aged 65 or above who are in need of financial support. Eligible elderly persons will receive a monthly allowance of $2,200. To enable elderly persons to apply for the allowance in an orderly manner, the SWD has made arrangements for different types of elderly persons to apply for the OALA through different procedures under three phases for application, namely Auto-conversion, Postal Submission and New Application.
For details about the OALA, please visit the SWD's website www.swd.gov.hk/oala .
For enquiries, please call:
1. The OALA hotline at 3595 0130 (15 lines in total). Service hours: 8.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
2. The departmental hotline 2343 2255.
3. The 24-hour hotline of the OALA 3142 2202. This hotline is manned by 1823 of the Efficiency Unit to handle general and simple enquiries on the OALA.
If the departmental hotline 2343 2255 and the 24-hour hotline of the 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.
Ends/Monday, March 25, 2013
Issued at HKT 15:15
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