Appeals for Inclusion Under Silver Support Scheme in Last Three Years

Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Manpower regarding successful appeals for inclusion under the Silver Support Scheme (SSS) in the last three years (a) what are the most common grounds for allowing the appeals; (b) whether the successful appeals include persons who qualify for SSS but who are not auto-included; and (c) if so, how were they omitted.

The Silver Support Scheme (SSS) provides quarterly cash supplements to seniors who had lower incomes during their working years and now have little or no family support in their retirement.

Silver Support is designed such that seniors automatically qualify if they pass the annual eligibility assessment. This ensures that eligible seniors receive Silver Support without the need to apply, even if they were initially unaware of the scheme. It also allows us to provide support to eligible seniors more quickly.

There is a small group of seniors who became eligible for Silver Support due to changes in their circumstances, but the changes came after the annual assessment was conducted. Seniors who inform the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board of their updated circumstances will have their eligibility reassessed. Silver Generation Ambassadors also help to facilitate appeals from potentially eligible seniors whom they meet during house visits. In any case, their updated circumstances will be captured at the next annual assessment.

Between 2019 and 2021, there was an average of 4,000 successful appeals for such cases each year, less than 2% of all Silver Support recipients. Changes in circumstances include moving to new residences, seniors' children moving out or household members experiencing a change in employment.