Personal Budget System for the Disabled Leads to Reduced Activity Support... "Improvement Measures Needed"

Gwangju Association for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled Hosts Welfare Symposium
Pilot Project Ahead of 2026 Government Implementation
Post-Settlement System Reduces Flexibility and Hinders Activities
"Urgent Need for Improvements Considering Negative Public Opinion"

The Gwangju Disabled Rehabilitation Association held the "33rd National Disability Welfare Academic Conference" on the 18th at the Budget and Accounts Special Committee Room on the 5th floor of the Gwangju City Council. Photo by Min Chanki

As the government is preparing to implement the Individual Budget System for persons with disabilities in 2026 and is currently conducting a pilot project, concerns have been raised that the system may actually reduce services such as activity support, highlighting the urgent need for improvements.

The Gwangju Association for the Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities held the '33rd National Disability Welfare Academic Conference' on the 5th floor of the Gwangju City Council's Special Budget and Settlement Committee Room on the 18th, where they discussed the current status and challenges of the Individual Budget System for persons with disabilities. The conference proceeded with keynote presentations, a comprehensive discussion, and an open forum.

About 100 people, including Gwangju City Council member Lee Myeongno, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs researcher Lee Hanna, Kangbuk Comprehensive Welfare Center for the Disabled Secretary General Park Euna, Gwangju Social Service Institute researcher Heo Junki, and Gwangju National University Department of Social Welfare Professor Jeong Heekyung, as well as other persons with disabilities and professionals in the field of disability welfare, participated in the event.

The Individual Budget System for persons with disabilities, set to be implemented in 2026, is a system that allows individuals to directly select services they need, such as home environment improvement and assistive device purchases, within a set budget. Since June this year, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has been conducting a pilot project, recruiting 215 participants in eight local governments nationwide, including Gangbuk-gu in Seoul and Siheung-si in Gyeonggi Province. Through this pilot project, the Ministry plans to apply the Individual Budget System to users of disability services and reflect improvements based on the evaluation and analysis of its outcomes.

During the conference, participants compared the scope, benefits, target groups, and delivery systems of Individual Budget Systems in other countries and discussed areas for improvement identified through the pilot project.

Researcher Lee Hanna stated, "This pilot project limited participation to only activity support recipients and excluded both cash benefits and direct employment by users," adding, "There are concerns that using activity support benefits, which are calculated based on required care hours, to meet other needs could hinder the expansion of activity support." She emphasized, "There needs to be a logical basis for benefit allocation and an adjustment of the role of individual support plans," and "Activity support for persons with disabilities should be available as a service within the individual budget."

Secretary General Park Euna said, "The key is to establish a usage plan that provides practical help to the lives of persons with disabilities," explaining, "Of the 66 applicants, 22 felt that their activity support services were reduced and therefore withdrew from the Individual Budget System." She further advised, "Before introducing the Individual Budget System, improvements should be made to the method of deducting activity support benefits, resolving regional imbalances caused by the concentration of services and personnel in urban areas, and expanding services and quality control measures."

Researcher Heo Junki commented, "The scale of support should be expanded beyond current levels for the Individual Budget System to meaningfully strengthen the self-determination of persons with disabilities," and "If free purchase of goods and services for daily and social activities is to be implemented, measures should be prepared to address possible negative public opinion." He also noted, "The post-settlement method for benefits reduces liquidity and may restrict the activities of persons with disabilities," and "There is a risk that only negative side effects will be experienced due to the Individual Budget System. It is necessary to discuss whether improvements in the current social service policies for persons with disabilities can only be achieved in the form of the Individual Budget System."