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Residential Care Service Voucher Scheme for the Elderly

Features of the Scheme

  • "Money-following-the-user": Provide elderly persons with greater flexibility to freely choose and switch among residential care homes for the elderly (RCHEs) under the Scheme.
  • "Users pay in accordance with affordability": Allow elderly persons who can afford less to receive more subsidies from the Government.
  • No waiting required: Elderly persons can receive subsidised residential care services (RCS) without having to wait.
  • Six-month trial period: Elderly persons can try to adapt to life in RCHEs.
  • High flexibility: Elderly persons may make a top-up payment of up to 150% of the prevailing voucher value to purchase additional services from RCHEs under the Scheme as needed.

Eligibility and How to Apply

All elderly persons who have been assessed and recommended for RCS under SWD's Standardised Care Need Assessment Mechanism for Elderly Services and are waitlisted for care and attention places or nursing home places on the Central Waiting List (CWL) for Subsidised Long Term Care (LTC) Services.  In general, SWD will complete the vetting process and issue the vouchers around eight weeks upon receipt of applications.

SWD will send letters to invite eligible elderly persons who are newly registered on the CWL to apply for the Scheme.
Eligible elderly persons can also click here to download the application form:

Item / NameDownload File
Application FormPDF

In addition, eligible elderly persons can fill in and submit the e-application form via the Voucher Information System for the Elderly.

Click the link or scan QR Code
https://vise.swd.gov.hk/vise/

Details of the Scheme

Voucher value and scope of service

The voucher value for care and attention places is $16,435 (with effect from 1.4.2024) per month while the voucher value for nursing home places is $21,232 (with effect from 11.6.2024) per month. RCHEs under the Scheme provide individual voucher holders with a "standard service package" covered by the voucher value as follows

  1. accommodation within shared rooms;
  2. at least 3 meals a day plus snacks;
  3. basic and special nursing care;
  4. staff on duty 24 hours per day;
  5. personal care service;
  6. 2 rehabilitative services sessions per week, on an individual or group basis;
  7. regular visits by a registered medical practitioner;
  8. social or recreational activities on regular basis; 
  9. laundry service;
  10. basic medical care services on a regular basis (applicable to voucher holders of nursing home places only); and
  11. social work services such as assessment, counselling, referrals and programme activities (applicable to voucher holders of nursing home places only).

Co-payment Arrangement

The Scheme's applicants are subject to an individual means test that takes into account their asset and income, in order to determine their co-payment level.
Please click here to download the Co-payment Table for the Scheme:

Item / NameDownload File
Co-payment Table for the Scheme (Care and Attention Place)PDF
Co-payment Table for the Scheme (Nursing Home Place)PDF

Promotion videos of the Scheme

Item / NameDownload File / Link
Promotion video 1Video
Promotion video 2Video
Promotion video (Animation)Video

Recognised Service Providers (RSP) (i.e. Residential Care Homes for the Elderly Participating in the Scheme)

Please click here to download the List of RSPs joining the Scheme:

Item / NameDownload File / Link
List of RSPs joining the Scheme (as at 19.11.2024)PDF
Video of Choosing a Recognised Service ProviderVideo

Useful information and documents download

Item / NameDownload File / Link
Service LeafletPDF / Word
Frequently Asked Questions (Chinese version only)(Only Chinese version is available)
Elderly Information WebsiteLink

Enquiries

SWD Residential Care Service Voucher Office

Address:Rooms 2701-07, 27/F, Two Chinachem Exchange Square, 338 King's Road, North Point, Hong Kong
Telephone no.:3107 3280 / 3107 3290
(9:30 am to 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday except public holidays)
Fax:3107 0236
E-mail:rcsv@swd.gov.hk

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