[Exclusive][Welfare Advanced Nation 2030]④ This Year's Budget for Supporting People with Developmental Disabilities Reaches 200 Billion KRW... Execution Rate Below 30%

Developmental Disability Support Budget 208.12 Billion KRW
Actual Execution Rate 29.5% by July This Year
Low Budget Execution for Daytime and After-School Activity Services
Survey Shows 59.4% Respond "Don't Know What Services Are Available"
Assembly Member Kang Sun-woo: "Ministry of Health and Welfare Needs a Detailed and Thorough Support System"

Editor's NoteLast August in Daegu, a woman in her 30s caused the death of her 2-year-old child with developmental disabilities and then took her own life. Similar incidents have occurred in Seongdong-gu and Incheon, with over 20 tragic cases happening in the past two years. It has been a year since the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) under the UN changed South Korea's status from a developing country to an advanced country group, but more in-depth consideration is needed on whether the quality of life of the people has changed to match the status of an advanced country. In particular, we aim to examine the blind spots for socially vulnerable groups who need legal protection and whether new laws are required, and explore 'legislation for humanity' that the National Assembly can undertake, as well as the 'direction toward becoming an advanced country.' The first part covers the reality and improvements concerning people with developmental disabilities (intellectual and autism spectrum disorders) and legislation currently under discussion in the National Assembly.

The government has been increasing the budget annually for services such as daytime activity and after-school activity services to reduce the caregiving burden on families of people with developmental disabilities, but actual spending has been only about half of the allocated amount. Although the system started in 2019, low usage is attributed to insufficient promotion and restrictions on service use due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are calls for the government to actively publicize the availability of these services and review whether there is room for institutional improvements.

On the 29th, Kang Sun-woo, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee from the Democratic Party, received data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare showing that the actual budget available for supporting people with developmental disabilities increased from 78.02 billion KRW in 2020 to 128.875 billion KRW last year, and 208.122 billion KRW this year. However, the actual execution rate of the related budget was 57.6% in 2020, 53.9% last year, and only 29.5% as of the end of July this year.

The items with low execution rates include support for daytime activity services, after-school activity services, and the establishment and operation of the voucher system. Daytime activity services are operated for adults with developmental disabilities aged 18 to under 65 and offer a choice among basic type (125 hours per month), reduced type (85 hours per month), and extended type (165 hours per month). Choosing the basic or extended type results in a deduction of 22 hours or 56 hours, respectively, from the support hours for disability activity support services. Services can be used through institutions and are organized in groups of 2 to 3 people; if group activities are difficult due to challenging behaviors or multiple disabilities, one-on-one intensive support services are also provided.

After-school activity services target youth with developmental disabilities aged 6 to under 18 and aim to address the blind spots in after-school care. These services can be used for up to 44 hours per month, with providers forming groups of 2 to 4 people to deliver the service.

The satisfaction with these services is reported to be high. However, considering the low usage rate, it is analyzed that many people with developmental disabilities and their families are unaware that such services exist. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's 2021 survey on the status of people with developmental disabilities, the most common difficulty experienced during the use of welfare services and facilities was 'not knowing what services are available,' accounting for 58.4%.

The National Parents' Association for the Disabled held a daily rally on the 27th near the Presidential Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, urging the establishment of a 24-hour support system for people with developmental disabilities. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

Additionally, the large deduction of hours in daytime activity services is cited as a reason for reluctance to choose these options. When selecting the basic or extended types, the support hours for disability activity support services available during weekends and late nights are reduced.

Daytime activity services and after-school activity services support external activities through institutions from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Disability activity support services differ in that they can be used during daytime as well as late nights and weekends.

Since activity services can only be used through institutions and not at home, usage rates dropped significantly during the COVID-19 period. According to a survey by the National Human Rights Commission, 20.5% of parents (241 out of 1,174) quit their jobs to care for their children with developmental disabilities during the COVID-19 situation. This means that 2 out of 10 parents stopped working to personally care for their children as outings became difficult for people with developmental disabilities due to COVID-19. A Ministry of Health and Welfare official said, "Due to the COVID-19 impact, these services were operated as external activity programs through institutions, so they were not used much in practice. Since this is now a third-year service, we expect it to become more active."

If the necessary systems and budgets for people with developmental disabilities are prepared but not properly executed, the budget for the following year may be reduced or the services may disappear. The government needs to make efforts to make the system more convenient to use.

Assembly member Kang Sun-woo emphasized, "The actual execution rate is low due to issues such as the reduction of activity support service hours when using daytime activity services and usage restrictions caused by COVID-19," and added, "The Ministry of Health and Welfare must build a more detailed and meticulous service provision system for people with developmental disabilities to improve execution performance."