212 Social Welfare
Allowance, Higher Disability Allowance, Normal Old Age Allowance and Higher Old Age Allowance. At year-end, 566 446 people were receiving SSA, compared with 563 880 in 2003. Total expenditure during the year was $5.24 billion, a decrease of 0.6 per cent over the previous year.
Revised Residence Requirements for Social Security Benefits
From January 1, 2004, to be eligible for CSSA or SSA, an applicant must have been a Hong Kong resident for at least seven years and have resided in Hong Kong continuously for at least one year immediately before the date of application. The adoption of the seven-year residence requirement is to ensure a rational basis for allocation of public resources. This requirement does not apply to those who became Hong Kong residents before January 1, 2004. Hong Kong residents aged below 18 applying for CSSA or a disability allowance under the SSA Scheme are exempted from any prior residence requirement.
Accident Compensation Schemes
The Criminal and Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation Scheme offers ex-gratia payments on a non-means-tested basis to innocent victims injured or to dependants of those killed in crimes of violence or through the action of a law enforcement officer using a weapon in the execution of his duties. During the year, $11.67 million was paid out in 630 cases, compared with $9.68 million in the previous year. The Traffic Accident Victims Assistance (TAVA) Scheme offers speedy financial assistance for people injured or for dependants of those killed in road accidents on a non-means-tested basis, regardless of the element of fault leading to the occurrence of the accident. During the year, $157.38 million was paid out in 6 190 cases, compared with $154.70 million in 2003.
Emergency Relief
Emergency relief in the form of cooked meals or cash grants in lieu of cooked meals and other essential relief articles is provided to victims of natural and other disasters. Grants from the Emergency Relief Fund are paid to eligible victims (or to their dependants in cases of death). Emergency relief was given to 60 victims on nine occasions during the year.
Social Security Appeal Board
The Social Security Appeal Board considers appeals against the SWD's decisions. concerning CSSA, SSA and TAVA. It heard 204 appeals during the year.
Services for Elders
The basic principle underlying services for elders is to provide senior citizens with a sense of security, a sense of belonging and a feeling of health and worthiness. The aim is to promote the well-being of people aged 60 and above in all aspects of their life through provision of services that will enable them to remain active members of the community for as long as possible, and, to the extent necessary, to provide residential care suited to their varying needs. The department has been operating an Opportunities for the Elderly Project since 1999 to provide subsidies to community organisations to plan and implement programmes to promote a sense of worthiness