Welfare membership subscribers to receive twice-yearly updates based on latest income and asset data, with about 530,000 households expected to get personalized guidance
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Wednesday it will launch a "regular guidance" service for welfare membership subscribers — a personalized benefit notification system — for the first time in the first half of this year.
The government introduced the welfare membership program in September 2021. Once enrolled, subscribers receive notifications about welfare services they may be eligible for, based on their eligibility status, income, assets and household information.
Until now, notifications reflecting changes in age or place of residence were provided through an "ad hoc guidance" system, but income and asset data was assessed only at the time of enrollment. As a result, some people who later became eligible for welfare support never received notification.
In response, the ministry will reassess subscribers' latest income and asset data twice a year and notify them of welfare services they may be entitled to, starting this year.
The first round of regular guidance covers about 1.34 million people through a simulation based on public records. Of those, around 530,000 households — covering approximately 790,000 cases — will receive notifications via KakaoTalk, email and other channels.
However, the welfare membership program uses government-held public data to run simulations and identify potentially eligible services. Whether a person actually receives support may differ depending on the results of a formal review conducted when they apply for each service.
Those who receive a notification can apply for the relevant welfare service through their local community service center or online portals such as Bokjiro and Goyong24. The administering agency will then conduct a review to determine whether support will be granted.
"No one should miss out on welfare services simply because they did not know about them," Health and Welfare Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong said. "Through this newly introduced regular guidance, the Ministry of Health and Welfare will proactively and periodically identify and inform people of the welfare benefits and services they may be eligible for."
thlee@heraldcorp.com
