Budget 2014 - Support for Those with Disabilities

[Angelmum]

Several initiatives aimed at providing support for persons with disabilities (PWD) were announced in Budget 2014.

These include:

i) Enhanced Subsidies for the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC)

* More middle-income households can benefit from a further 20% to 50% subsidy , on top of an enhanced $500 base subsidy that benefits all Singaporean children enrolled in EIPIC
* Lower-income households will also see a decrease in monthly expenses.

ii) Transport for PWD
* Subsidies of up to 80% will be introduced for those who require dedicated transport services to access special education and care services. This will apply to the lower two-thirds of households.
* A new Taxi Subsidy Scheme will subsidise up to 50% of the cost for those in the lower half of households.

The above will complement the new government-funded fare concession scheme announced in January this year, where PWDs travelling by bus and train can enjoy 25% discount on adult fares

iii) Enhanced Handicapped Dependant Reliefs
Starting from YA2015, reliefs for those caring for handicapped dependents, such as spouse, sibling or child will be increased by $2,000.



Is this good news to you?

 

[Angelmum]

Application for disability travel concession

Application for disability travel concession


Commuters with permanent disabilities but who are not in any existing public welfare programmes can apply for public transport concessions now.
They can send their applications to SG Enable Ltd, 141 Redhill Road, Singapore 158828, by April 30. Their applications must be accompanied by a current doctor's memo, endorsement by an affiliated voluntary welfare organisation providing disability aid, or a functional assessment report endorsed by a general practitioner.
If approved, they will receive a personalised concession card before July 6, when the new concession takes effect.
The concession was announced in January. It grants commuters with disabilities a 25 per cent discount on adult fares. On top of that, they will not have to pay additional fares for distances beyond 7.2km.



Yesterday, I rec'd letter about above, have not read the T&C so don't know is it worthwhile to apply.

 

[Angelmum]

$56m to help those with disabilities, special needs kids
Tuesday, Mar 18, 2014 The Straits Times
More than 50,000 children with special needs and people with disabilities will soon receive more help from the Government to the tune of $56 million a year, Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Low Yen Ling said in Parliament last Thursday.


Of this sum, $32 million will go to fund subsidies under the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (Eipic). The programme provides educational and therapy services for those below seven years old who are at risk of developmental issues. The other $24 million will go to defraying transport costs of the disabled who either take public transport, special transport services or taxis.


From October, all Singaporean children enrolled in Eipic will receive a $500 base subsidy, up from the current $300.
On top of that, more families will be eligible for additional subsidies as the per capita income will be raised from $1,500 to $3,000. This means a further subsidy of between 10 per cent and 75 per cent, and eight in 10 households with such children will be covered. Adults with disabilities who take buses or trains will get a 25 per cent fare discount, and will be eligible for a monthly concession pass from July 6.


These were announced in January. Those with limited mobility who use special transport services run by voluntary welfare organisations to get to special education schools, day activity centres and sheltered workshops can now also get subsidies from July 1.


Those with per capita income of $2,600 and below can get subsidies of between 30 per cent to 80 per cent, depending on their income. Those who rely on taxis to go to school or work because they cannot take public transport or use other modes of travel will also get a leg up in defraying their transport expenses. From October, the Government will subsidise up to half of the fares for taxis, including London cabs.


Those with $1,800 per capita income and below will have their fares subsidised between 10 per cent and 50 per cent. For Mohamed Shukur, 15, who uses a wheelchair permanently due to a spinal cord injury, this means saving $20 each time he takes a London cab - the only taxi large enough for his wheelchair. Each ride costs a flat fee of $40. The family has been getting $800 a month from the LTA Cares Fund, which subsidies taxi rides for low-income families, but it covers only one-way cab trips to MacPherson Secondary School. Going home is a daily struggle by bus, with his mother's help.


"Buses that come are either too crowded or non-wheelchair accessible, so we can wait up to 45 minutes just to get on one," said his mother, Madam Madiah Atan. The 59-year-old is unable to work as she needs to care for her son. The two of them, who live in a one-room Bendemeer flat, rely on welfare aid of $370 a month and a $200 allowance from her daughter to get by. She said: "I am happy about this new subsidy. But we will only use cabs for emergencies, such as when he is sick, as $20 a ride is still big money for us."