S$120 p.m. FDWG biased and unfair.

S$120 p.m. Foreign Domestic Worker Grant (FDWG) is biased and unfair.

- Those who qualify but do not hire a FDW due reasons such as: no space for FDW (FDW needs to live-in), cannot afford FDW, elderly is taken care of by 'unemployed' Singaporean child/ relative etc should be allocated the SAME funding to be placed into the elderly person's medisave account/ elder expense account that can be later spent on elderly care issues (monthly limit) such as nursing home care, dietary supplements, pampers, part-time/ professional help (licensed), medical appliances, taxi journeys involving the elderly to public health care institutions etc or used as a supplement to the regular use of medisave funds.

Why is the government encouraging the use of foreign domestic help- is this increasing dependence on foreign domestic help a good thing for Singapore? Is our economy on steroids? Why one's choice to use foreign domestic help determine one's eligibility for government subsidies? Aren't Singaporeans who chose to self-care for their elderly parents also considered filial?
The government must answer these questions openly and transparently.
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Quote:

Aug 07, 2012
Over 6,000 Households with Frail or Disabled Family Members to Benefit from Foreign Domestic Worker Grant
Over the next five years, more than 6,000 households are expected to benefit from the Foreign Domestic Worker Grant (FDWG) of $120 per month when it comes into effect from October 2012. The grant aims to provide greater support to eligible families whose foreign domestic workers take care of family members who are frail or with moderate disabilities. The grant is now open for application.
The grant was first announced by Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Mdm Halimah Yacob, at the MCYS Committee of Supply debate in March this year. The estimated budget over the next five years is $25 million. Mdm Halimah said, “This grant will help alleviate the cost of families who hire Foreign Domestic Workers to take care of frail or disabled family members. As caring for the frail elderly and disabled can be challenging, I also hope that more families will send their foreign domestic workers for training so that they can be better equipped to serve as caregivers.”
Eligibility Criteria
To qualify, households must have a per capita monthly income of $2,200 or less. For households with no income, the annual value of their property should be less than $13,000. The foreign domestic worker must take care of an elderly person or person with disabilities who have been assessed as having at least moderate disabilities by a panel of General Practitioners (GPs) i.e. they require assistance with some Activities of Daily Living such as showering or bathing, feeding, dressing, toileting, transferring or mobility. Please refer to CEL’s website at www.cel.sg for the list of GPs.
Households will also be required to send their foreign domestic workers for relevant training in care giving. The existing Caregivers Training Grant (CTG) can be used by eligible persons to defray the cost of training. For more details on the eligibility criteria, please refer to Annex A.
Grant Application
Application details for the FDWG are currently available at CEL’s website (www.cel.sg). Households currently receiving the Foreign Domestic Worker Levy Concession will also receive a mail package containing information on the application procedure and the necessary application forms in the next few weeks.
6 For more information, please visit CEL’s website or contact CEL’s infoline at 1800-8585-885 or contact@cel.sg.
Annex A - Eligibility Criteria of the Foreign Domestic Worker Grant
Annex A
Eligibility Criteria of the Foreign Domestic Worker Grant (FDWG)


To qualify for the FDWG, applicants must meet all the following criteria:

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08Aug2012: S$120 p.m. FDWG biased and unfair.