「基層長者生活貧窮問題，並非抽象的概念……一日這個問題得不到答案，香港不能說是關心市民福祉的社會。」
-- 周永新 香港大學社會工作及社會行政學系榮休教授
"The issue of poverty amongst the elderly is not abstract… As long as one cannot find a solution to this issue, one cannot address Hong Kong as a society which lays emphasis on the benefit of its own inhabitants."
- Nelson, Chow Wing Sun
Emeritus Professor, Department of Social Work and Social Administration
The University of Hong Kong
In the Report on Working Elderly by SoCO in 2014, it says that the three pillars of Hong Kong government policy on the financial support to the elderly are: Social Security Allowance (SSA) Scheme, Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme and Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF). So let's first get more familiar with these three terms.
Hong Kong government provides various social services and benefits to the elderly, including Community Care and Support Services, Residential Care Services and Social Security. In the aspect of financial support, elders can apply for different social security schemes.
The SSA Scheme provides a monthly allowance to Hong Kong residents aged 65 or above, or who are severely disabled. In this scheme, two main parts referring to the elderly are:
Old Age Allowance: for those aged 70 or above
Old Age Living Allowance: for those aged 65 or above and has an income and assets not exceeding the prescribed limits
The Government introduced an "Old Age Living Allowance" (OALA) under the Social Security Allowance Scheme on
1 April 2013 to supplement the living expenses of elderly people aged 65 or above who are in need of financial support. The current monthly OALA payment is $2,565.
Elders in financial difficulty can also apply for the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) to meet their basic needs. It is designed to bring their income up to a prescribed level to meet their basic needs.
Generally speaking, CSSA is harder to apply because it has more restrictions. In addition to the residence requirement, the applicant must pass both the income and asset tests. The total assessable monthly household income and the total value of the capital assets held by the applicant and his/her family members must not exceed the prescribed limit.
Luanched on 1 December 2000
Employees and employers who are covered by the MPF System are each required to make regular mandatory contributions calculated at 5% of the employee’s relevant income to an MPF scheme, subject to the minimum and maximum relevant income levels. For a monthly-paid employee, the minimum and maximum relevant income levels are $7,100 and $30,000 respectively.
* Other terms included in our articles：
Statutory Minimum Wage (SMW) has come into force since 1 May 2011. With effect from 1 May 2017, the SMW rate is raised from $32.5 per hour to $34.5 per hour. Concurrently, the monetary cap on the requirement of employers keeping records of the total number of hours worked by employees is also revised from $13,300 per month to $14,100 per month.
(Source: GovHK香港政府一站通 https://www.gov.hk/tc/residents/)
