Gangdong-gu Provides Secure Welfare from Youth to Seniors with Resident-Centered Welfare Benefit Surveys

Providing a Stable Income Base through Support Surveys on Basic Living Expenses, Pensions, Asset Formation, and Secure Income
Active Rights Protection for Vulnerable Households... Delivering Comprehensive Welfare Services and Driving Seoul City's Yakja Donghaeng Index

Lee Su-hee, Mayor of Gangdong District

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Su-hee) announced on the 23rd that it has established the 2024 Safe Welfare Support Survey Plan to provide safe welfare services from youth to the elderly.

In January last year, the district reorganized the system according to the roles of the Living Security Division’s Survey and Management Team, and established the Safe Welfare Survey Team responsible for investigating 10 types of welfare projects, including pension programs (Basic Pension, Disability Pension) supporting basic living security and asset formation projects (Youth Savings Account, etc.).

2023 Organizational Restructuring to Revise Social Security Benefit Survey System... Establishment of ‘Safe Welfare Survey Team’ and Promotion of Rapid Surveys

First, the existing teams named Survey Teams 1, 2, and 3 were systematized by dividing them according to roles such as survey and management. Accordingly, the ‘Safe Welfare Survey Team’ was established to provide a stable income base through fair investigations of basic pensions, safe income, and other benefits beyond basic living expenses.

Throughout 2023, a total of 11,571 surveys were conducted. To enable faster surveys, training for field workers was provided and procedures were improved, promoting resident-centered welfare services.

In particular, for basic livelihood recipients who turned 65, there were many cases of overpayment recovery of benefits due to basic pension payments, which caused potential complaints. To improve this, the district provided pension application guidance two months in advance and conducted priority surveys regardless of the order of application receipt, minimizing complaints.

Focus on Active Rights Remedy for Vulnerable Households in 2024... Promotion of Integrated Living Condition Survey

Recently, Seoul City has been promoting the ‘Vulnerable Accompaniment Index’ to implement policies that embrace socially disadvantaged groups without blind spots. Accordingly, the district plans to conduct an integrated living condition survey covering various generations from youth to the elderly, the future generations of 2024, as well as socially vulnerable groups.

First, timely surveys will be conducted to promote rapid support. Among the district’s overdue claim complaints (22,539 cases), 26.8% (6,051 cases) are basic pension applications, which account for a high proportion. The district plans to expedite processing to ensure timely support for eligible recipients.

※ 2023 Processing Time Reduction Rate 84.4% (Completed within an average of 25.3 days compared to the statutory processing period of 30 days)

Additionally, vulnerable households will be proactively supported and remedied. Currently, the welfare benefit selection structure is based on public data notified at the household level, and decisions are made by summing the income-converted amounts of income and assets. However, elderly individuals often face difficulties with complex calculation criteria and preparing supporting documents, leading some to give up their eligibility or hesitate to apply from the start.

In response, the district has been promoting the ‘Gangdong-type Safe Old Age Support Project’ since May last year. It establishes its own variables to identify vulnerable households, focusing on applicants turning 65 for the basic pension, and conducts a primary verification of support eligibility. Subsequently, based on public data and counseling history, re-counseling is conducted, and through analysis of eligibility for benefits such as livelihood and housing, support measures are prepared to ensure that vulnerable residents do not miss out on benefits due to lack of awareness. ※ 20

Among Basic Pension Applicants in 2023, 238 Households Inspected, 63 Households Identified

Lee Su-hee, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, stated, “We will do our best to promptly investigate applied social security benefits, provide a stable income base and welfare benefits, and actively protect rights so that residents can feel an improved welfare experience.”

The 2024 basic pension has been raised by 11,000 KRW (5.4% increase) to an income recognition amount of 2.13 million KRW, and the disability pension has been raised by 8,000 KRW (6.5% increase) to an income recognition amount of 1.3 million KRW.