Gyeonggi Province Extends Temporary Relaxation of 'Gyeonggi-type Emergency Welfare' Standards Through September

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Gyeonggi Province will extend the temporary 'Gyeonggi-type Emergency Welfare System' through September 30 to support crisis households facing difficulties due to COVID-19.

In January, the province relaxed the income standards for the 'Gyeonggi-type Emergency Welfare System' from the existing 90% of median income to 100% of median income (4.87 million won monthly income for a four-person household), and relaxed property standards from the existing 257 million won for urban areas and 160 million won for rural areas to 339 million won for urban areas and 229 million won for rural areas, respectively. Financial standards were also lowered from the existing 10 million won to 17.314 million won (based on a four-person household).

Following the Ministry of Health and Welfare's directive, the province first extended the program through June 30 in March, and is now making a second extension through September 30.

Eligible households include ▲households facing livelihood difficulties due to death, desertion, disappearance, or imprisonment of the primary earner ▲cases where the primary earner suffers from serious illness or injury ▲households with over one month of income loss even after unemployment insurance benefits end ▲small business owners with income reduction of 30% or more. Based on a four-person household, recipients can receive 1.26 million won in monthly living expenses and up to 5 million won in medical expenses in case of serious illness.

The province plans to focus on identifying crisis households including summer season crisis households due to seasonal factors such as heat waves and monsoons, and high-risk vulnerable households reported by the welfare blind spot discovery management system.

Moon Jung-hee, director of the Welfare Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, said "We will do our best to ease the difficulties of residents facing crisis situations in livelihood and medical care by relaxing the temporary standards of the Gyeonggi-type emergency welfare," and "We will actively work to ensure that vulnerable households in welfare blind spots are not left behind."

Applications for the Gyeonggi-type emergency welfare can be made at the Administrative Welfare Centers in the relevant eup, myeon, or dong of one's registered residence, or by calling the Gyeonggi Province Call Center (031-120).