Health ministry extends family caregiver allowance for severely disabled through 2028

The health ministry said Tuesday it has extended a temporary exemption that allows family members to be paid for providing activity support services to people with the most severe developmental disabilities or rare diseases, pushing the expiry date to Dec. 31, 2028 from Oct. 31, 2026.

Under the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Activity Support Services for Persons with Disabilities, county and district chiefs may restrict activity support workers from carrying out paid support for their own family members. The exemption, in force since November 2024, lifts that restriction for households that have struggled to secure an outside worker.

The government extended the exemption to ease the care burden on families of disabled people who have been unable to find an activity support worker, the ministry said, adding that continued support is needed for recipients who are severely developmentally disabled or have rare diseases.

The extension was published as Presidential Decree No. 36778 and took effect on the day of publication.

The rule applies to people whose disability meets criteria set by the health minister. For developmental disabilities, that means an intelligence quotient of 35 or below or a score of 30 or below on the Global Assessment Scale for developmental disabilities. For rare diseases, recipients must meet the standard for added activity support benefits and have gone at least 60 days without being matched to a support worker.

The decree also broadens who administers the scheme, adding the heads of integrated special cities to a provision that previously named only special city mayors.