Government launches “Stepping Stone” – Pilot Scheme on “Subsidy to Encourage Employment of Disabled Recipients under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme”

     â€‹The Government launched the "Stepping Stone" – Pilot Scheme on "Subsidy to Encourage Employment of Disabled Recipients under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme", subsidised by the Community Care Fund (CCF), today (September 1) to provide an additional employment subsidy of $500 per month for employed disabled recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA). The Pilot Scheme aims to encourage disabled CSSA recipients who are capable of working to engage with the community, encouraging them to maximise their potential. The three-year Pilot Scheme is administered by the Social Welfare Department (SWD).

     Beneficiaries shall meet the following criteria:
* Receiving CSSA and medically certified to be disabled; and
* Engaging in paid employment in the month calculating the employment subsidy.

     Eligible disabled CSSA recipients are not required to submit an application for the Pilot Scheme. The SWD will issue notification letters setting out the arrangement and details of the Pilot Scheme, including the arrangement on disbursement of the subsidy, to the eligible recipients as recorded in the Computerised Social Security System. 

     The employment subsidy will be disbursed starting from the end of December 2024. It will be deposited into the valid bank account designated for receiving CSSA payments through autopay quarterly.

     Details of the Pilot Scheme are available on the CCF website (www.communitycarefund.hk) or the SWD website (www.swd.gov.hk). For enquiries, please call the CCF Team of the SWD at 3422 3090 during office hours.