290,000 seniors to be given notification letters for old age allowance

They'll receive it in stages.

According to a release, seniors who have not received green notification letters who currently receive the Higher Old Age Allowance will be dealt with in the Old Age Living Allowance’s second phase through postal submission, the Social Welfare Department says, adding it will continue to follow up applications.

The department has made use of seniors' data kept in the computerised social security system to issue green notification letters to about 290,000 seniors to enable them to receive the Old Age Living Allowance through phase one through auto-conversion.

When the system was used in 2000, these seniors were already receiving the higher allowance. While their data had been transferred to the system, the old data concerning their receipt of Normal Old Age Allowance had not been transferred.

Those who have not been dealt with in the first phase through auto-conversion will be processed in the second phase by postal submission.

When a review of the financial situation for all seniors who benefited from the auto-conversion arrangement is conducted in the second year of the Old Age Living Allowance's implementation, seniors who have applied through postal submission will not be required to declare afresh their income and assets.

The department has set up a centralised team to handle about 290,000 auto-conversion cases and about 290,000 postal-submission applications. The Social Security Field Units will handle new application cases.

Its Social Security Branch, the centralised team and the computer section will provide all necessary support to enable staff to answer seniors' questions.