ENG-2016 — Page 222

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Social Welfare

CSSA with their youngest child aged 12 to 14 to find employment and become self-reliant. At the year end, 76,743 CSSA recipients took part in the programme. The Community Care Fund was implementing a pilot Incentive Scheme to Further Encourage CSSA Recipients of the Integrated Employment Assistance Programme for Self-reliance to Secure Employment that would continue until March 2017.

Social Security Allowance

The non-contributory SSA scheme comprises Old Age Living Allowance (OALA), Old Age Allowance (OAA) and Disability Allowance (DA), which includes Normal DA and Higher DA. OALA supplements the living expenses of people aged 65 or above who need financial support. OAA and DA provide elderly people aged 70 or above and people with severe disabilities respectively with non-means-tested cash allowances to meet their special needs. There were 835,262 SSA recipients as at end-2016, with a total expenditure of $22.2 billion during the year, a 2.3 per cent increase over 2015.

The government is progressively implementing improvement measures as recommended by an Inter-departmental Working Group on Review of the Disability Allowance coordinated by the Labour and Welfare Bureau.

Relief Measure

In June, the government provided one additional month's standard-rate payment to CSSA recipients and one additional month's allowance to recipients of OALA, OAA and DA.

Accident Compensation

The non-means-tested Cleic scheme offers financial help to those injured, or to their dependants in the case of death, as a result of a crime of violence or by a law enforcement officer using a weapon in the execution of his duty. It paid out $5.75 million in 2016. The non-means-tested Tava scheme provides financial assistance to people injured in road traffic accidents or to their dependants in the case of death, regardless of who is responsible for the accident. It paid out $245.6 million during the year.

Emergency Relief

Emergency relief in the form of meals or cash in lieu of meals and other necessities is given to victims of natural or other disasters. Grants from the Emergency Relief Fund are paid to eligible victims, or in the case of death to their dependants. Emergency relief was given to 126 victims of 11 disasters in 2016.

Social Security Appeal Board

The board considers appeals against the SWD's decisions on CSSA, SSA and Tava. It ruled on 429 appeals in 2016.

Prevention of Fraud and Abuse

To preserve the integrity of the social security system and ensure the proper use of public funds, the department's Special Investigation Section prevents and combats fraud and abuse of social security payment. It receives reports from the public via the hotline 2332 0101. In 2016,

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