Take-up Rate of Special Needs Savings Scheme by Persons with Disabilities (PwD)

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) how many Persons with Disabilities (PwD) have thus far taken up the Special Needs Savings Scheme since it started in February 2012; (b) what are the age ranges of the applicants; and (c) how many have started receiving benefits upon the demise of their parents.

Mr Chan Chun Sing: The Special Needs Saving Scheme (SNSS) was launched in 2012 to enable parents to provide a steady income for the long-term care of their special needs children. As of June 2014, there are 199 persons with disabilities on the scheme. The majority (84%) are between one and 20 years old (Please refer to Table 1).

Persons on the scheme will receive a monthly sum, rather than a lump sum, from their parents' CPF savings upon their parents' demise. At this point in time, none of them has started receiving disbursements.