College and job applicants with pancreatic disorder eligible for priority review; registration criteria eased for four other internal organ disabilities

The Ministry of Health and Welfare building at the Government Complex Sejong [Newsis]
The Ministry of Health and Welfare building at the Government Complex Sejong [Newsis]

People with pancreatic disorder will be able to register as persons with disabilities starting Wednesday, making them eligible for a range of government benefits.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Tuesday that it has added pancreatic disorder as a new disability category under amendments to the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Welfare of Persons with Disabilities and revised disability assessment criteria, effective July 1. The ministry also eased registration criteria for four existing internal organ disability categories.

Pancreatic disorder falls under "internal organ disabilities," a subcategory of physical disabilities. It is the first new disability type added since 2003 — a gap of 23 years — bringing the total number of recognized disability categories to 16.

The newly recognized pancreatic disorder category covers cases in which the pancreas has lost its ability to secrete insulin, a condition that arises within the broader category of diabetes.

To register as having a pancreatic disorder, a person must receive a diagnosis from a medical institution confirming at least six months of intensive insulin treatment and insulin secretion levels below a set threshold as measured by a C-peptide test.

A total of 478 medical institutions nationwide are authorized to diagnose pancreatic disorder — 303 affiliated with internists specializing in endocrinology and metabolism, and 175 affiliated with pediatricians specializing in endocrinology.

If a patient has changed hospitals while seeking a diagnosis, the new specialist can still certify the disability even if the previous physician was not an endocrinology specialist.

Registration is open to anyone who meets the diagnostic criteria set out in the disability assessment guidelines, regardless of whether the underlying cause is Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.

Registered pancreatic disorder patients will receive reductions on fees for public facilities, electricity and telecommunications bills, and public utility charges, as well as various tax benefits.

Those who meet additional eligibility requirements may also receive disability activity support services, disability allowances and medical expense support.

However, the disability pension, disabled parking permits and disability call-taxi services will remain restricted. The pension and parking permit become available when a person registers under multiple disability categories simultaneously.

Pancreatic disorder applicants preparing to apply to universities or seek employment through disability-designated admissions or hiring tracks may also use a priority review system.

To receive priority review, applicants must submit supporting documents — such as a certificate of enrollment as a high school senior or a WorkNet job-seeker registration confirmation — to their local community service center when applying for disability registration. The priority review system will operate on a temporary basis through the end of this year.

The ministry also eased registration criteria for four internal organ disability categories: cardiac, respiratory, hepatic and ostomy disorders.

For respiratory disabilities, the standard waiting period after an initial diagnosis is one year before a formal disability assessment can be made. Under the eased criteria, patients who have undergone a tracheotomy and require a ventilator around the clock may now qualify for a disability assessment after six months.

For hepatic disabilities, the number of criteria required to qualify as having a "severe disability" has been reduced from four to two, and the range of recognized complications has been expanded.

To apply for disability registration, a person must obtain a disability diagnosis from a medical institution, receive a "diagnostic certificate for disability severity assessment" along with copies of medical records, and submit these to the community service center in their area of residence.

The National Pension Service, which handles disability severity assessments nationwide on behalf of local governments, has completed a review of its assessment procedures and staff training ahead of the system's rollout.


thlee@heraldcorp.com