How "severely handicapped" a person should become in order, he can withdraw money from his own CPF?

It was reported in the news today (July 4) that PCF members can now withdraw money from their own CPF, but only if they are "severely disabled" and are at least 30 years old.

Apparently Health Minister Gan Kim Yong took pity on the "severely disabled" Singaporeans and decided to allow them to withdraw a monthly sum of their own CPF Medisave account for their livelihood.

He told the media, "When a Singaporean faces a severe disability and, at the same time, facing financial difficulties, I think we can afford to be more flexible. "

Those who have at least $ 5,000 in their Medisave accounts will be able to withdraw $ 50 a month while those with $ 20,000 or more to withdraw $ 200 a month

Fifty dollars a month equals roughly $ Buying 20 packets of chicken rice for one month at $ 2.50 per pack Some netizens commented that a pack of chicken rice now costs $ 3 in most hawker centers. case, $ 50 would only buy the person about 16 packets of chicken rice a month

Definition of Serious Disability

So, withdraw $ 50 or $ 200 a month from 39 According to the CPF Medisave account, how should a person become "disabled" to qualify?

According to the website of the Ministry of Health, it defines severe disability as the "condition of life". inability to perform at least three activities of daily living.) Independently, this is ignifies that the individual will require the physical assistance of another person for the ADL

He defines the following ADL:

1. Washing – The ability to wash in the bath or shower (including getting in and out of the bath or shower) or washing in other ways.

2. Dressing – Ability to put on, remove, attach and detach any clothing and, as the case may be, orthopedic appliances, artificial limbs or other surgical or medical appliances. [19659002] 3. Food – The ability to feed oneself after being prepared and made available.

4. Toileting – The ability to use the toilet or to manage bowel and bladder function by means of protective undergarments or d & # 39; surgical devices, if any.

5. Walking or Moving – The ability to move indoors from one room to the other on level surfaces.

6. Transfer – The ability to move from a bed to a chair or a wheelchair, and vice versa.

However, the assessment that a "severely disabled" person may make one of the above ADLs seems to be subjective, according to the insurance company. Recently, TOC reported that a blind case on ElderShield had been rejected by NTUC Income for not being sufficiently "severely disabled".

Blinded not enough "severely handicapped"

M. Teo, member of the audience shared her story with TOC. He is medically certified blind, with a loss of vision in his right eye and seeing only shadows in his left. But NTUC Income believed that Mr. Teo is capable of conducting ADL independently.

According to an observation of Mr. Teo dated March 24, 2015, it is said that Mr. Teo:

1. Need supervision to prevent falls and trips during the bath
2. Needs help to know which side to wear for T-shirts and shorts.
3. Need food preparation.
4. The woman needs to check if she is properly cleaned after wiping and after the movement
5. It takes constant monitoring at home when one moves.

The doctor specifically wrote in the assessment form that the disability of Mr. Teo's ADLs began in December 2014. However, NTUC Income wrote to Mr. Teo the April 8, 2015, stating that he could claim benefits because he could still perform more than three ADLs.

To add to the irony of Mr. Teo's situation, he managed to claim permanent disability under his other insurance plans – three in total – with the exception Eldershield, who claims to be able to provide for his future needs in long-term care

. This disability is a scam: a normal disability can only claim a slight disability, it must be more like a vegetable to claim What type of disability – most people are not sure – many think they can pretend, but the 2 cut legs can not either. "

So while I It is very appreciated that there will be those who will be allowed to withdraw a monthly cash payment from their own CPF Medisave account for sustenance, but there is still question of how much will be eligible under the definition of "severely handicapped"