Tang Ka-piu urges easing elderly allowance residency rule
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Legislator Tang Ka-piu said Hong Kong should review the rule requiring applicants to have lived continuously in the city for at least one year before applying for elderly benefits under the Guangdong and Fujian schemes. He argued that some Hong Kong seniors who moved early to the mainland for retirement are later blocked from claiming Old Age Allowance when they turn 70
Key Points
- Eligible Hong Kong elderly residents living in Guangdong and Fujian can receive Old Age Allowance, Normal Old Age Living Allowance or Higher Old Age Living Allowance monthly through the two cross-boundary schemes
- Current rules require applicants to have lived continuously in Hong Kong for at least one year immediately before the application date
- Speaking on a radio programme on August 19, Tang said the Federation of Trade Unions had handled more than 100 help requests in Zhongshan from Hong Kong seniors aged 70 or above
- Tang said some people retired to the mainland in their early 60s after receiving retirement benefits, sold their Hong Kong homes, and no longer kept long-term accommodation in the city
- He proposed allowing applicants to prove they had lived in Guangdong or Fujian for the previous year, including by presenting a mainland residence permit, to receive Old Age Allowance
Why It Matters
Tang said some elderly people have had to stay temporarily with relatives in Hong Kong for a year just to meet the rule before applying, which he described as undesirable. He said the Social Welfare Department had told him the issue involved major policy planning and would be taken up for internal government discussion as Hong Kong continues expanding elderly-care support on the mainland