Integrated Support Service for Persons with Severe Physical Disabilities

Description

Integrated Support Service for Persons with Severe Physical Disabilities (ISS) renders support to persons with severe physical disabilities who need constant attention and care as well as relieving them of the burden of medical equipment and medical consumables so as to enable them to continue living in their familiar community.

Programme Content

• To strengthen support services for persons with severe physical disabilities to prepare for their discharge from hospital and follow up with integrated home-based services with a view to facilitating their full integration into the community;
• To provide a special subsidy for renting Respiratory Support Medical Equipment (RSME) and purchasing medical consumables; and
• To strengthen support for their family members / carers and alleviate their stress.

Cash Subsidy

• Provision of assistance programmes for Respiratory Support Medical Equipment dependents:
  1. Special Subsidy for Renting Respiratory Support Medical Equipment;
  2. Special Subsidy for Purchasing Medical Consumables Related to Respiratory Support Medical Equipment.
• Subsidy level for the two programmes is both capped at $2,500 per month, relevant financial assessment on applicants' income and assets are required.

Integrated Home-based Support Service

• Case Management Service;
• Pre-discharge Support Services;
• Post-discharge Home-based Professional Support Services:
  1. Nursing care;
  2. Rehabilitation training (Physiotherapy / Occupational Therapy / Speech Therapy);
  3. Personal care service;
  4. Escort service;
  5. Carer support service;
  6. Home respite service;
  7. Social work service;
  8. Transportation service;
  9. Out-of-office hour emergency support;
  10. Meal support service (To be coordinated by case managers based on service users' need. Meal fee to be paid by service users.).

[Persons with severe physical disabilities over the age of 60 can opt for (1) Home Care Service for Persons with Severe Disabilities / Integrated Support Service for Persons with Severe Physical Disabilities or (2) services for the elderly including Integrated Home Care Services / Enhanced Home and Community Care Services / Day Care Centre / Unit for the Elderly / Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly if the applicant is assessed to be eligible for the service. The applicant cannot receive both kinds of services at the same time. For the applicant with severe physical disabilities under the age of 60, he/she can only choose Home Care Service for Persons with Severe Disabilities or Integrated Support Service for Persons with Severe Physical Disabilities depending on their eligibility for the respective service. To avoid service duplication, applicant / guardian / appointee is required to make a declaration for the service operator of not using similar services of other subvented non-government organisations during service application, and gives consent for the service operator to confirm information with relevant agencies.]

Eligibility Criteria

Cash Subsidy

1. Respiratory Support Medical Equipment (RSME) dependents¹ (Please refer to the Service Brief for details) ; and
2. Renting RSME listed in Annex 1 (Please download the Service Brief for Annex 1) and/or using medical consumables listed in Annex 2 (Please download the Service Brief for Annex 2); and
3. The monthly household income shall not exceed the income limit which is equivalent to 150% of the Median Monthly Domestic Household Income (MMDHI) of corresponding household size published in the most updated “Quarterly Report on General Household Survey” by Census & Statistics Department at the time of application.
   • Full-rate subsidy for eligible service users with a family household income at or below 100% of MMDHI (capped at $2,500 per month);
   • Three-quarters subsidy for those with family household income above 100% to 125% of MMDHI (capped at $1,875 per month);
   • Half-rate subsidy for those with family household income above 125% to 150% of MMDHI (capped at $1,250 per month); and
4. The family's asset shall not exceed the asset limit for public rental housing applications under the Housing Authority.  The asset limit prescribed for public housing applications under the Housing Authority at the time of application shall prevail; and
5. Without receiving any relevant subsidy for the RSME / medical consumables from other funding sources² (Please refer to the Service Brief for details).

AND

1. Living in the community and receiving Higher Disability Allowance (HDA) under the Social Security Allowance (SSA) Scheme; or
2. Those being hospitalised but with a definitive discharge plan, and having the need to rent or having started renting the RSME listed in Annex 1 (Please download the Service Brief for Annex 1) and/or purchased medical consumables listed in Annex 2 (Please download the Service Brief for Annex 2) yet without receiving any relevant assistance, and whose level of disability as assessed by medical doctors of public hospitals / clinics are equivalent to that for receiving HDA under the SSA Scheme; or
3. RSME dependents who had received HDA under the SSA Scheme, but converted to receive Normal Disability Allowance (NDA) because they turned to receiving care in residential institutions subsidised by the Government (including subsidised places in subvented / contract homes and residential care homes under various bought place schemes) or any public hospital or institution under the Hospital Authority, or boarding in a special school under the Education Bureau and still have to rent or have started renting the RSME listed in Annex 1 (Please download the Service Brief for Annex 1) and/or purchased medical consumables listed in Annex 2 (Please download the Service Brief for Annex 2).

Integrated Home-based Support Service

1. Persons with severe physical disabilities requiring RSME and constant attendance, and living in the community (irrespective of whether they are entitled to the cash subsidy specified above); or
2. Tetraplegia patients living in the community; or
3. Persons with severe physical disabilities who are assessed by the Physiotherapist / Occupational Therapist to have rehabilitation / care needs comparable to tetraplegic patients; or
4. Persons with physical disabilities who are assessed to be eligible for the service in accordance with the Assessment Tool for Home Care Service for Persons with Severe Disabilities; or
5. For service users of (a), (b), (c) and (d) above taking accommodation in residential institutions subsidised by the Government or any public hospitals and institutions under the Hospital Authority, or boarding in special schools, services will only be provided during the period when they stay at home during home leave; or
6. For service users of (a), (b), (c) and (d) above living in self-financing homes for persons with disabilities, personal care, escort, transportation and home respite services would not be arranged as these services would have been provided by the home operators as a regular service for service users.

Fees and Charges

* Each session lasts at least 45 minutes.

Application Procedure

Applicants can either approach the Service Operator or apply for the service through their social workers.  The application is free of charge.

Application Procedures (For Cash Subsidy Only)

Persons who meet the eligibility criteria can apply for the subsidy. If an applicant is aged below 18 or has been medically certified to be unfit to make a statement, the application should be made by the guardian / appointee currently approved by SWD to receive NDA / HDA under the SSA Scheme on his/her behalf. Applicants / guardians / appointees are required to submit the completed application forms together with all necessary documents set out below by post or by hand to the Service Operator according to the residential address of the applicant.

Vetting of Applications and Payment of the Subsidy (For Cash Subsidy Only)

• The assistance programmes under the ISS operate on household-based applications with specified income and asset limits for different household sizes.  The Service Operator will determine the rate of subsidy for the whole period based on the family's asset and the monthly household income at the time of application.  The subsidy level of the two assistance programmes are both capped at $2,500 per month.
  - Income limit: set with reference to 150% of the MMDHI published in the most updated "Quarterly Report on General Household Survey" by Census & Statistics Department at the time of application.
  1. Full-rate subsidy for eligible service users with a family household income at or below 100% of MMDHI (capped at $2,500 per month);
  2. Three-quarters subsidy for those with family household income above 100% to 125% of MMDHI (capped at $1,875 per month);
  3. Half-rate subsidy for those with family household income above 125% to 150% of MMDHI (capped at $1,250 per month).
• The amount of subsidy disbursed is subject to the actual cost of the recognised item(s) claimed and capped at the aforementioned rate. Upon the completion of financial assessment, subsidies will be calculated from the date of application and be disbursed to the eligible applicants on quarterly basis. The Service Operator will normally review the eligibility of the applicant for the subsidy on an annual basis. The subsidies will be payable to the eligible applicants on a quarterly basis by crediting to their bank accounts for receiving disability allowance.
• The Service Operator will regularly verify the quarterly subsidy to which an eligible individual is entitled. The subsidy will be terminated if the beneficiary becomes ineligible (e.g. ceased to be a RSME dependent or change of the family's financial position) during the subsidy period. If he/she becomes eligible again, he/she may approach the Service Operator for re-application.

Responsibilities of the Applicant / Guardian / Appointee (For Cash Subsidy Only)

The applicant / guardian / appointee will be required to provide detailed information on his/her financial position and other relevant information to the Service Operator for verification.  Information provided by the applicants / guardians / appointees must be true, correct and complete.  In case of any change of the relevant information (e.g. ceased to use respiratory support medical equipment or change of the family's financial position), they should report the change to the Service Operator as soon as possible.  Any subsidy certified as overpayment will have to be paid back.

¹ To ascertain the applicant's need for RSME and medical consumables, recommendation from the medical / paramedical professionals from the public hospitals / clinics may be required.

²For cash subsidy to rent RSME, the applicants should not be currently receiving from the Government, statutory boards or any charitable fund (e.g. CSSA, Pneumoconiosis Compensation Fund, Samaritan Fund, Yan Chai Tetraplegic Fund, Yan Chai Caring Fund for Severely Disabled, etc.) to pay for the rent for the respiratory support medical equipment, and no such assistance for the purchase of the respiratory support medical equipment has been received within three years before the making of the application unless the equipment is out of order.  For cash subsidy to purchase medical consumables, the applicants should not be currently receiving from the Government, statutory boards or any charitable fund (e.g. CSSA, Pneumoconiosis Compensation Fund, Samaritan Fund, Yan Chai Tetraplegic Fund, Yan Chai Caring Fund for Severely Disabled, etc.) for the purchase of medical consumables.

Service Operators

Information of Service Unit