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ElderShield

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Introduction to ElderShield​​

ElderShield is a basic long-term care insurance scheme targeted at severe disability, especially during old age. When it was introduced in 2002 as ElderShield 300, it provided payouts of $300/month for up to 5 years upon severe disability. It was subsequently reviewed in 2007 to ElderShield 400, which provides better benefits of $400/month for up to 6 years.

Downtime Notice

Due to a system upgrade, you will not be able to log in or make submission to eFASS from Thursday, 28 April 2022, 3pm to Saturday, 30 April 2022, 11.59pm.

You are advised to plan ahead and submit your applications early to avoid the downtime period. For more details, click here.


More About ElderShield

From September 2002 to December 2019, all Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents with MediSave Accounts were automatically enrolled in ElderShield at the age of 40, unless they opted out of the scheme.

From 2020 onwards, there will be no new auto-enrolments onto ElderShield, instead, eligible Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents born in 1980 or later will be auto-enrolled onto CareShield Life. You can find out more about CareShield Life here or make a CareShield Life claim here.

Those born on or before 30 September 1932, or born between 1 October 1932 and 30 September 1962 and had pre-existing disabilities as of 30 September 2002 were not able to join ElderShield in 2002. Instead, they may be eligible for assistance under the Interim Disability Assistance Programme for the Elderly (IDAPE) here.

From 1 November 2021, the Government has taken over the administration of ElderShield from the three MOH-appointed private insurers: Singlife (formerly known as Aviva), Great Eastern, and Income. The Government will work with the Central Provident Fund Board and AIC to operationalise and administer ElderShield. Claims servicing will be handled by AIC.


Payouts

ElderShield policyholders who become severely disabled are eligible to make claims, and can receive payouts for up to 60 or 72 months, as long as they continue to meet the terms and conditions needed to receive payouts. Payout amounts and duration are dependent on the care recipient’s scheme, as shown in the table below.


ElderShield 300
ElderShield 400 

If the care recipient joined ElderShield between 30 September 2002 and 29 September 2007 If the care recipient joined ElderShield between 30 September 2007 and 31 December 2019
Payout Amount $300/month $400/month
Payout Duration Up to 60 months Up to 72 months





How to Qualify

To be eligible for ElderShield claims, the care recipient must meet the following criteria:​

Requires Assistance with Activities of Daily Living

Unable to perform three or more of the six Activities of Daily Living, as certified by a MOH-accredited severe disability assessor. These six activities are:​


​

Coverage

  • Must be an ElderShield Policyholder.
  • To find out if the care recipient is insured under ElderShield:
    • Go to www.cpf.gov.sg​​
    • Login to "my CPF Online Services" using your NRIC and Singpass.
    • Select "My Messages" and check under "Healthcare".

How to Apply

Contact an MOH-accredited severe disability assessor for a severe disability assessment.

a. Click here​ for the list of assessors.

b. The assessor will conduct the severe disability assessment and collect an assessment fee from you. If the care recipient is assessed to be severely disabled, the full assessment fee will be reimbursed to you​.

The fees are as follows, if:

  • You visit an assessor’s Clinic: $100
  • An assessor visits your house: $250

c. If the care recipient is residing in a nursing home, the nursing home can help submit a Resident’s Assessment Form in place of the severe disability assessment. Please approach the nursing home for assistance.

Login to AIC’s eService portal (eFASS) with your Singp​ass.

We strongly encourage you to apply online as there is a shorter waiting time for application approval. If you are unable to submit your application using eFASS, please email us at apply@aic.sg or walk in to any of our AIC links to request for a hardc​opy application form.

If the care recipient is an ElderShield policyholder but no longer a Singapore Citizen/Permanent resident, please inform us of your status and request for a hardcopy application form by writing to apply@aic.sg, as you will not be ab​le to apply using AIC’s eService portal (eFASS).

Care recipients in Nursing Homes can arrange for payments to be made to the Nursing Home to offset their bills. Please contact the Nursing Home for assistance with the application.

If you are applying on behalf of someone who lacks mental capacity, please read the Additional Guidance.​

Please ensure that you have read the Terms and Conditions before submitting your​ application.




Video Guide on eFASS Application Portal

 

After the Application is Submitted

We are currently experiencing a high volume of applications. During this period, we may take up to six weeks to process your online application. We will inform you of the outcome in writing by mail. If your application is successful, payouts will be made to your nominated bank account in the following month, which may include payouts from the month the application was submitted. The payouts will be reflected as "ElderShield” in your bank statement.

The care recipient will continue to receive monthly payouts in the nominated bank account by the end of every month, for as long as the care recipient remains eligible.

Please contact AIC at 1800-650-6060 if you require any assistance.


For Existing Scheme Recipients

1. If you would like to change the care recipient’s scheme details, please login with your Singpass on eFASS. Go to “Manage My Schemes” > “Change in Scheme Details”. Please note these additional points as well:

  • If you are changing the care recipient’s scheme details on behalf of a care recipient who lacks mental capacity, you will need to submit a Mental Incapacity Certification if you have not done so before. The form can be downloaded here and needs to be filled in by a doctor.
  • If you are changing the care recipient’s payee to the nursing home that the care recipient is residing in, please approach the nursing home for assistance.

2. If you wish to opt-out from receiving ElderShield payouts, please login with your Singpass on eFASS. Go to “Manage My Schemes” > “Change in Scheme Details”.

3. If you are unable to update scheme details or opt out of scheme using eFASS, please email us at apply@aic.sg, or walk in to any of our AIC Links to request for a hardcopy application form. We seek your understanding that hardcopy applications have a longer processing time.

How to Apply

Your loved one is automatically enrolled in ElderShield if they are a Singapore citizen or Permanent Resident with a Medisave account at age 40, unless they opt out of the scheme. They can check their ElderShield coverage through the CPF Board's website, at www.cpf.gov.sg.



How to Make a Claim

1. Download the ElderShield Claim Form 

The form you download depends on the insurer your loved one is covered under: 

2. Functional Assessment 

Confirm your loved one cannot perform three or more Activities of Daily Living by going for an assessment by an approved IDAPE assessor. The list of appointed assessors is here (and is the same across insurer).


3. Get Assessed 

  • Visit to the appointed assessor - $100 per assessment 

  • House call - $250 per assessment


4. Submit the Forms 

Complete the ElderShield Claim Form and hand them to the assessor, who will fill in the necessary sections and submit them to their ElderShield insurer.

If your loved one is assessed to be severely disabled, AIC will reimburse the amount to them.


Opt-back into ElderShield

If your loved one has opted-out of ElderShield earlier, and wish to opt-in, please note that they need to be age 64 year old and younger, and their re-entry into the scheme will be subject to underwriting. 

Should your loved one wish to opt back in, they can contact any of the three ElderShield insurers directly. You can find out more through the Ministry of Health website.



Frequently Asked Questions

​ Have a question about Eldershield? We may have the answer here.

​​​​​​

Additional gu​idanc​e f​or care recipient ​who lacks m​ental capacity to​ provide consent

1. The care recipient's donee/deputy# may provide consent on the care recipient's behalf. If the care recipient does not hav​e such a donee/deputy, the caregiver* may make the a​pplication on care recipient's behalf.

#​Donee/deputy must be appointed​ in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act (Cap 177) and is authorised to make decisions on behalf of the care recipient in relation to the care r​ecipient’s property and affairs.

*For successful applications without a donee/deputy and paying to 3rd party​ bank accounts (not applicable to nursing home accounts), ​the caregiver or another family member has 12 months to obtain a court order appointing him/her as a deputy, failing which the payouts will be suspended. ​For more information on how to apply for a deputyship, please visit the Family Justice Courts website.

Doctor’s certification for mental i​nc​a​pacity is only valid for six months, unless stated permanent.


2. Please submit the f​ollowing addtiona​l supporting documents:

  • Doctor's certification that the care recipient lacks m​ental capacity OR court order of deputy appointment OR recent medical report stating that the care recipient lacks mental cap​acity; and
  • Copy of​ bank book or statement IF you are nominatin​g an account belonging to a deputy or trustee of the care recipient.

​
AIC requires the input of the NRIC issue date for verification purposes. ​

You can login with your Singpass on eFASS and navigate to “Manage My Schemes” > “Change in Scheme Details”.

If you are changing the nominated bank account on behalf of a care recipient who lacks mental capacity, you will need to submit a Mental Incapacity Certification if you have not done so before. Please refer to Additional Guidance​ for more information.

If you are nominating a nursing home to receive the payouts, please approach the nursing home for assistance.

Do keep a copy of the application documents for your own reference.

You would need to visit a​n​ MOH-accredited severe disability assessor to be assessed whether you are severely disabled. You are likely to be assessed as severely disabled if you are unable to perform at least three activities of daily living (ADLs). These ADLs are bathing, dressing, feeding oneself, using the toilet, moving around and transferring.

For example, at least three of the following scenarios apply to you:

  • You may need to rely entirely on your caregiver to be fed
  • You may need to rely entirely on your caregiver to be bathed
  • You may need to rely entirely on your caregiver to manage your diapers or catheter
  • You may need to rely entirely on your caregiver to be dressed
  • You need to rely entirely on caregiver to move over a distance, e.g. cannot walk on one’s own or push oneself in a wheelchair
  • You need to be fully supported when being transferred from bed to chair, or chair to bed

You will be reimbursed fully for the assessment fee if you are assessed to be severely disabled. If you are assessed to have mild/moderate disability, you may still be eligible for mild/moderate disability assistance schemes like the Home Caregiving Grant and Foreign Domestic Worker Levy Con​cession for Persons with Disabilities​.

For informat​ion on the different levels of disability and how to apply ​for ElderShield​ claims and other forms of financial support, please refer to the information on www.aic.sg/financial-assistance.

​
If you wish to apply for ElderShield or any of the severe disability schemes, you need to undergo a severe disability assessment by an MOH-accredited severe disability assessor who has undergone a rigorous training programme to learn how to assess disability accurately​. You may wish to check if your own doctor or healthcare professional is on the list of MOH accredited severe disability assessors. This can be found at www.aic.sg/assessors-list​. If they are not, you will need to ​make an appointment with one of the assessors on the list for an assess​ment.
The fees for clinic-based and non-clinic-based assessments are $100 and $250 respectively. Assessment fees will be reimbursed only if the policyholder is assessed to be severely disabled. ​
Applicants with dementia or other cognitive impairments will not automatically qualify for ElderShield claims, and will still need to undergo a severe disability assessment, as dementia/cognitive impairment could affect the applicant’s functional abilities to varying extents. ​

​An annual periodic re-assessment may be required to assess if a care recipient of a severe disability scheme continues to meet the criteria for receiving payouts/withdrawals. Periodic re-assessment fees are waived, regardless of the outcome of the assessment. We will write to the care recipient if a periodic re-assessment is required.

Care recipients who are assessed as permanently severely disabled will be exempted from disability re-assessments, unless new information comes in to suggest that the care recipient’s condition has improved.

Yes, you can reapply and receive ElderShield payouts again if you are assessed to meet all eligibility criteria, and have not completed the 60 (ESH300) or 72 (ESH400) months payout duration. ​

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