Manual on Interim Disability Assistance Programme for the Elderly

What You Should Know About the Interim Disability Assistance Programme (IDAPE)

The Interim Disability Assistance Programme for the Elderly, which was founded in 2002, is a government initiative created to offer financial assistance to a limited number of elderly Singaporeans who had not been at the moment qualified for ElderShield. This was due to their pre-existing ailments or the fact that they were older than the allowed age limit.

The IDAPE can be used to defray a variety of medical expenses, including nursing fees, medical bills, and the hire of a foreign domestic worker to look after the beneficiary. The monthly compensations for eligible seniors might range from $150 to $250 per month, contingent on the findings of their means test. There are no limitations on how the rewards will be utilized as long as they are used to meet the care needs of the injured claimant, which is one of the key advantages of this financial arrangement.

Eligibility for IDAPE

You are regarded IDAPE-eligible right away if you meet the following criteria:

• You presently reside in Singapore as a citizen of Singapore.
• Despite having a pre-existing disability or being born on September 30, 2002, and all dates inclusive
• You live in a home with an annual value of $13,000 or less, have no capita household monthly income, or amounting $2,800 or less.
• You have a significant disability and can’t execute at least three of the six ADLs.

Please be aware that only registrations from a Singapore citizen will be considered for the IDAPE program; applications from PRs and holders of other passes are not eligible.

IDAPE Benefits

A limited number of elderly who were at the time ineligible for ElderShield due to their advanced age or pre-existing impairments were given aid under the Interim Disability Assistance Programme for the Elderly, IDAPE, which was established in 2002.

If these older citizens experience significant disability, they are eligible to receive a $150 or $250 cash payment each month for up to 72 months. Regardless of the recipient’s financial circumstances or total monthly household income, there are no restrictions on how the funds may be utilized as long as they are going toward the care of seniors who have developed severe disability.

The payments can be used to offset, for instance:

• Medical expenses
• Nursing expenses
• bringing in a foreign domestic worker to assist in taking care of the IDAPE claimant who is disabled

To get their IDAPE payment, the elderly folks can pick themselves, a caregiver who is at least 21 years old, or the nursing facility or senior citizen studio apartments they are staying in.

How to Apply for IDAPE

There are two phases when applying for IDAPE: the assessment phase and the application proper.

1) Severe Disability Assessment

The first phase in applying for IDAPE is the severe disability assessment, where an MOH-accredited severe disability assessor (you may find the list of assessors here) will conduct an assessment for any pre-existing disabilities. Assessment fees will also be collected, which vary per your preference:

• $100 when you prefer to visit the assessor’s clinic; and
• $125 when you prefer to be visited by the assessor.

Note, though, that a care recipient determined to be severely disabled will have their assessment fee fully reimbursed.

Alternatively, if the care recipient resides in a nursing home, a Resident’s Assessment Form (RAF) may be submitted instead, rather than conducting the severe disability assessment. The care recipient or their family member needs to approach the nursing home the claimant is residing with to ask for assistance.

2) The Application Proper

In the application proper, you may opt to apply online by logging in to AIC’s eService portal (eFASS) with your Singpass (you may check out this video to help you navigate the platform), which is recommended since its application approval is shorter. Alternatively, you may also opt to email AIC at apply@aic.sg or walk into any of the AIC Link Locations to request a hardcopy application form

Those applying for disabled, elderly Singaporeans who lack the mental capacity to provide consent should also follow additional guidelines to complete their application. These guidelines include who may act as the care recipient’s donee/deputy and what additional documents must be prepared.

According to the Mental Capacity Act (Cap 177), the donee/deputy of the care recipient is allowed to make decisions on behalf of the care recipient. Should there be no deputy initially appointed, the caregiver may also make the deputy appointment on the care recipient’s behalf, per the steps illustrated by the Family Court.

The additional documents that must be prepared are as follows:

• Doctor’s certification OR a recent medical report regarding the care recipient’s lack of mental capacity OR court order of deputy appointment; and
• A copy of the bank book or statement should the nominated bank account where the monthly payout will be given belongs to the deputy/donee of the care recipient.

IDAPE vs Eldershield

ElderShield and IDAPE were both created to serve people with severe disabilities, but their qualifying requirements range greatly.

ElderShield, essentially a severe disability insurance scheme that offers financial support to elderly people who need long-term care, was established in 2002. Only qualified Singaporeans with MediSave Accounts who reached 40 before 2019 were eligible to participate in this program.

So that elders who aren’t eligible for ElderShield might still get monthly cash benefits, IDAPE was developed expressly for them. Both elderly financial schemes are comparable in many ways, with the only differences being the qualifying requirements and the number of rewards every month.

Conclusion

Due to the large number of candidates, the administration of online applications might take up to one month. Successful claimants will get written notification of their status and may anticipate that compensation will be sent right away to the designated bank account in the next month.

The applicant will continue getting monthly payments for their mobility assistance requirements as long as they meet the IDAPE requirements unless they want to withdraw from the program. If you wish to explore more on the guidelines on IDAPE, visit here.