Guideline to expand access to disabled allowances, improve service

Wealthier parts of China are being encouraged to expand the coverage of two State benefits for disabled people and to digitize the application process, according to a guideline released on Wednesday.

The guideline, which was jointly released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Finance and the China Disabled Persons' Federation, stated that the living allowance for needy disabled people can be extended to cover those who do not meet the requirements to qualify as low-income, while the nursing subsidy for people with severe disabilities can be given to families with a member of less severe mental or intellectual disabilities. The subsidy is currently only reserved for people with severe disabilities.

Both subsidies, which range from 50 to 100 yuan ($7.7 to 15.5) a month depending on location, were rolled out by the State Council in 2016 as China worked on eliminating rural poverty.

The guideline stated that amounts can be adjusted regularly in accordance with local finances, but need to be sufficient to sustain recipients in the long term.

It called for improved efforts to remove unqualified claimants, including the deceased and the imprisoned and those with expired or invalid disability documents. Data-sharing will be strengthened with prisons, household registration authorities and crematories to ensure subsidies are not claimed by impostors.

Approval power will be delegated to township-level authorities to streamline applications. However, county governments are ordered to improve detection of lawbreakers and to hand them over to prosecutors and provincial authorities are asked to review all recipients at least once a year.

The guideline further encouraged wealthier areas to embrace digital technology to reduce paperwork and pledged that it will be possible to apply for the subsidies locally by end of this year as the country works to curb the limits the hukou (household registration) system currently places on access to Social Security and public services.

It also called for increased efforts in reviewing documentation to prevent embezzlement and retrieve falsely claimed funds.