Health ministry extends family caregiving allowance for severely disabled to 2028

The health ministry said Tuesday that a revision to the enforcement decree of the Act on Activity Support for Persons with Disabilities was approved at a Cabinet meeting, extending until Dec. 31, 2028, a temporary allowance that lets family members serve as activity-support workers for people with the most severe developmental disabilities and rare diseases. The allowance had been set to expire on Oct. 31, 2026.

Under the current rules, a family member may provide activity-support services to a beneficiary only in exceptional circumstances, such as when the household lives on an island or in a remote area, or when a natural disaster occurs. Since November 2024, the government has temporarily permitted family members to act as activity-support workers for people with the most severe developmental disabilities and rare diseases who meet certain conditions, to address the difficulty such households face in finding workers to assist with daily living.

The ministry said the extension takes into account the situation of families who have struggled to secure activity-support workers.

"I hope this measure eases at least a little of the worry felt by families of people with the most severe disabilities and rare diseases," said Cha Jeon-kyung, head of the ministry's disability policy bureau. "We will continue working so that activity-support services can reliably assist more people with disabilities and their families."

The revision was deliberated and passed at the Cabinet meeting.