Introduction to Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund – Home Healthcare Items
The Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund (SMF) provides holistic support for seniors to age in place within the community by extending subsidies to Singaporean seniors:
- Requiring mobility and assistive devices for daily independent living and to remain ambulant in the community
- Receiving government funded home care and care within the community, needing home healthcare items for their care
On this page, learn how you can apply for SMF grants for Home Healthcare Items for your loved ones.
What are Home Healthcare Items
Frail seniors who can stay in nursing homes but choose to stay at home and be supported by home healthcare services in their community can get subsidies for the cost of catheters, milk supplements, thickeners, adult diapers, nasal tubing and wound dressings.
New Commercial Marketplace
From 1 Aug 2022, seniors and/or caregivers would be able to use a new commercial marketplace, Vertis, to place orders for subsidised home healthcare items.
Seniors and/or caregivers who are previously ordering from Health MarketPlace (HMP) should visit the Vertis portal to register for an account before making their first order on Vertis.
How to Qualify
These are the criteria you and your loved one must meet.
Nationality and Age
Your loved one must be a Singapore citizen aged 60 and older.
Care Services
Your loved one must be receiving one of the following services: home nursing, home medical, home or day¹ hospice services, Integrated Home & Day Care (IHDC) packages.
¹From 1 July 2024, seniors who meet the existing SMF eligibility criteria and are receiving day hospice care services will also be eligible for SMF consumables subsidies for home healthcare items.
First-Time Application
Your loved one must not be already receiving subsidies for the same items.
Household Monthly Income
Your household monthly income per person must be $2,000 and below OR Annual Value (AV) of residence reflected on NRIC of $21,000 and below for households with no income.
*From 1 October 2024, the household monthly income per person threshold will be revised from $2,000 to $2,600.
Assessment
Your loved one must undergo assessment to determine your needs and type of healthcare items required.
How to Apply
Please approach your respective home healthcare provider for Home Medical, Home Nursing, Home or Day Hospice Services, or Integrated Home & Day Care (IHDC) Package, to assist you in your application for SMF Consumables.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have a question about Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund – Home Healthcare Items? We may have the answer here.
Who can apply for the Seniors' Mobility and Enabling Fund (SMF) - Home Healthcare Items Subsidy?
If you are a needy Singaporean aged 60 years and above, you can apply. You need to go through a financial assessment.
You must be receiving one of the following services: home nursing, home medical, home or day hospice services, Integrated Home & Day Care (IHDC) packages.
You also need to go for a clinical needs assessment by your home healthcare provider to find out the types of home healthcare items you require.
What type of means testing will be done?
You must pass means-test under Ministry of Health’s SMF Assistive Device or Consumables Subsidy framework. Your household monthly income per person of $2,000 and below OR Annual Value (AV) of residence reflected on NRIC of $21,000 and below for households with no income.
*From 1 October 2024, the household monthly income per person threshold will be revised from $2,000 to $2,600.
How do I apply for the fund?
You may approach your respective home healthcare provider for home nursing, home medical, home or day hospice services, or Integrated Home & Day Care (IHDC) package, to assist you to submit an application to AIC.
What is the funding amount?
You will get up to 50% or 80% subsidy for the cost of the home healthcare items, up to the maximum annual subsidy cap.
What is Vertis?
Vertis Healthcare Marketplace (“Vertis”) is a new commercial marketplace that would replace the Health Marketplace (HMP) to enable clients and their caregivers as well as their care providers who process SMF Consumables applications (if authorised by client) to continue to place order for subsidised consumables.
As Vertis portal is mobile-friendly, clients could simply access Vertis portal using their mobile devices’ web browser and do not need to install an app on their mobile devices to place orders. Senior and caregivers who prefer to speak to a supplier over to the phone to place orders may continue to do so.
What is the list of Home Healthcare Items Covered?
You can use SMF subsidies for the following types of home healthcare items:
- Adult diapers
- Catheters and catheter set
- Milk feeds
- Nasal tubing
- Nasogastric tubes and pH indication test strips
- Thickeners
- Wound dressings
