A subsidy scheme by the Taipei City Government deprives elderly people with disabilities of their right to collect full welfare benefits, two lawmakers said yesterday as they called on the city to rectify the problem.
Taipei has since 2002 offered separate subsidies for elderly people with disabilities, independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) and Taipei City Councilor Sabrina Lim (林亮君) told a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
This means that people entering a nursing home can only apply for aid specifically for elderly live-in care, even if they have a record of disability, they said.
Photo: CNA
This is unfair to those with disabilities and their family members, the two added.
According to Ministry of Health and Welfare regulations, a person with disabilities has the right to apply for aid with the responsible local authority after admission into a care facility, regardless of whether it is a long-term care home or any other kind of senior care center, Freddy Lim said.
Other local governments — including New Taipei City and Taoyuan — allow elderly people with disabilities to apply for whatever aid is applicable to their situation, he said.
Taipei’s unfair distinction has caused many residents to move elsewhere to receive the welfare that is rightfully theirs, he added.
Sabrina Lim said that she at the end of last year sent a written request to the Taipei Department of Social Welfare for an explanation.
The department said the budget for disability aid would skyrocket if it changed the policy, making adjustment impossible, she said.
Sabrina Lim said she then turned to the ministry for assistance, which last month instructed the city government to bring its policy in line with central government regulations.
As of December last year, 1,977 people in Taipei had received senior live-in care assistance, Sabrina Lim said.
Among them, 1,295 were also classified as disabled, meaning that the city’s policy has barred them from receiving disability assistance, she added.
Elderly people with disabilities are the “disadvantaged among the disadvantaged,” said Shih Ting-hung (施定宏), head of the Taipei Community Elderly Long-term Care Development Association.
Long-term care places immense financial pressure on seniors and their families, Shih said, adding that a policy change would be a great help to Taipei’s elderly residents.
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