Hong Kong Elderly Care Guide: Comparing CCSV, Subvented Services, and Government Subsidies
by YDCare護理團隊
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2026年1月28日
Many older adults and caregivers in Hong Kong know that elderly services come in many forms. However, understanding each scheme in detail can take significant time and effort. This article provides a clear overview of eligibility, application methods, and pros and cons of common schemes—so you can choose the most suitable support more efficiently.
HK Elderly Support: 4 Key Categories
1. Vouchers
A voucher model where subsidy “follows the user”, allowing users to choose among Recognised Service Providers (RSPs) and service packages.
Examples: CCSV (Community Care Service Voucher), RCSV (Residential Care Service Voucher).
2. Subvented (Government-subsidised) Services
These are traditional, fixed services fully or partially funded by the Government and operated by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These services are often high-demand and cost-effective, but they typically require a Standardised Care Need Assessment and involve a significant waiting period.
Services funded by the Government includes home care, community care services, day care centres etc.
3. Cash Allowances / Safety Net
Cash allowances provide direct financial support to eligible seniors to help cover daily living expenses and basic needs.
Examples: Old Age Living Allowance (OALA), Old Age Allowance (OAA), Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA).
4. Targeted Subsidies / Concessions
These subsidies are designed for specific functional needs such as healthcare, transport, and dental services.
Examples: Elderly Health Care Voucher (HCV), HK$2 Fare Concession Scheme, Community Dental Support Programme (CDSP).
CCSV (Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly)
1. Purpose and Positioning
- • Operates under “money follows the user” and “users pay according to affordability.” It directly subsidises eligible older adults to purchase community care services, with flexibility to choose/switch RSPs, and adjust service items and service volume.
- • Allows a “mixed mode” arrangement: users can receive both Day Care Centre services and home-based care services.
2. Key Eligibility Requirements
- • Must be assessed under the Standardised Care Need Assessment Mechanism as suitable for community care services or residential care services; and
- • Must be on the Central Waiting List for subsidised long-term care services, and not currently receiving any residential care services or subsidised community care services.
3. Application Method (Key Process)
- • The Social Welfare Department (SWD) invites eligible older adults in order of the application date on the Central Waiting List.
- • Upon invitation, applicants may submit the application to an SWD office or via the Voucher Information System for the Elderly (VISE).
- • In general, SWD completes processing and issues the voucher within 4 weeks after receiving the application.
4. Subsidy and Co-payment (How to Explain It Clearly)
- • For 2025–26, the monthly voucher value ranges from HKD 4,459 (minimum) to HKD 10,664 (maximum). Users may choose a service package value within this range.
• Co-payment has six levels: 5% / 8% / 12% / 16% / 25% / 40% of the service package value.
• The co-payment level is determined by SWD based on the income of the older adult and co-residing family members.
Other Common Elderly Support Schemes
Below is a practical selection of the most frequently used and most frequently asked-about schemes. Many schemes can be used together—however, always check for non-duplication rules and specific exclusions.
1. Long-term Care Services
1) EHCCS / IHCS (Frail Cases) and Home Support Services (HSS)
- • Purpose: Home-based care for frail older adults aged 60+, supporting ageing-in-place and relieving caregiver burden.
• Eligibility: Typically requires assessment under the standard mechanism (frail cases), or a simplified assessment tool for home support services (depending on service type).
• How to apply: Contact an Integrated Family Service Centre, Medical Social Services Unit, District / Neighbourhood Elderly Community Centre, or relevant service teams.
• Key features: More “team-based” and continuous follow-up, but service supply, waiting time, and flexibility are often constrained by system capacity (in contrast to CCSV’s user choice and self-directed management).
2) Day Care Centres / Units for the Elderly
3) Residential Respite Service for the Elderly (Respite)
- • Purpose: Short-term residential care for older adults living in the community who require family assistance, allowing caregivers to rest.
• Eligibility: Aged 60+, genuine respite need, suitable for group living, and meets admission requirements. Family must take the older adult home upon completion.
• How to apply: Social worker referral is required. Follow-up can be arranged through caregiver support hotlines or case/service units.
• Key features: Crucial for caregiver burnout or short-term care gaps, but it is short-term by nature and may not solve long-term high-dependency care needs.
4）RCSV (Residential Care Service Voucher for the Elderly)
- • Purpose: “Money follows the user / pay according to affordability” model to increase choice of residential care homes; includes a 6-month trial period, and users may top up to purchase additional services (up to 150% of voucher value).
• Eligibility: Assessed as suitable for residential care and on the Central Waiting List for Care-and-Attention or Nursing Home places.
• How to apply: SWD invites eligible applicants based on waiting list order; invited persons submit the application via SWD or VISE. Processing typically takes about 8 weeks after all documents are received.
• Voucher value (from 1 Apr 2025):
- Care-and-Attention place: HKD 16,764/month
- Nursing Home place: HKD 21,657/month
• Co-payment: Means-tested based on the older adult as an individual (income and assets).
2. Healthcare, Dental, and Transport (Not long-term care, but often used together with CCSV)
1) Elderly Health Care Voucher (EHCV)
- • Purpose: Enables eligible older adults to use vouchers for private primary healthcare services.
• Eligibility: Generally aged 65+ with valid identity proof.
• Value: HKD 2,000 per year, cumulative cap HKD 8,000; credited automatically on 1 January each year.
• How to apply/use: Usually “eligible = entitled.” In practice, bring identity proof to participating service providers. (Social workers often focus on helping clients understand how to use it and integrate it into chronic disease management.)
2) Community Dental Support Programme (CDSP)
- • Purpose: Provides subsidised dental services for disadvantaged groups with financial difficulty, expanded to replace the Community Care Fund’s elderly dental subsidy.
• Eligibility: Valid identity proof and being within designated beneficiary groups (e.g., OALA recipients, CCSV co-payment Level 2, certain low-fee categories of home care services, or Hospital Authority medical fee waiver eligible persons), and registered with eHealth (eHRSS).
• How to apply: Eligible persons may contact participating NGO dental clinics directly, or be assisted by a registered social worker.
• Key features: Includes check-ups, fillings, extractions, scaling, root canal treatment, removable dentures (subject to service cycles and quotas), with administrative fees/co-payment arrangements; health care vouchers may also be used for relevant fees where applicable.
3) HK$2 Fare Concession Scheme (Public Transport Fare Concession)
- • Purpose: Enables eligible persons to travel on designated public transport at HKD 2 per trip.
• Eligibility: Mainly Hong Kong residents aged 60+, using the JoyYou Card.
• Important update: From 25 Aug 2024, anonymous elderly Octopus cards and standard personal Octopus cards are no longer eligible for the scheme.
• Policy direction: The Government has announced an optimisation (“HK$2 / 20% off”) to be implemented no later than Sep 2026, including a monthly cap of 240 trips, etc.
3. Cash Allowances / Safety Net
1) Old Age Allowance (OAA) and Old Age Living Allowance (OALA)
- • Purpose: Monthly allowance to meet special needs arising from old age.
• Payment amount (from 1 Feb 2025):
- OAA: HKD 1,640/month
- OALA: HKD 4,250/month
• Eligibility:
- OAA: aged 70+, no means test.
- OALA: aged 65+, subject to income and asset limits (e.g., from 1 Feb 2025: single income cap HKD 10,770 / asset cap HKD 406,000; couple income cap HKD 16,440 / asset cap HKD 616,000).
• How to apply: Apply via SWD online forms and/or Social Security Field Units.
2) Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA)
3) Carer Living Allowance (Financial Support for Caregivers)
- • Purpose: Provides a living allowance to carers of older adults from low-income families to support ageing-in-place in the community.
• Key eligibility points: The care recipient must be assessed as recommended for CCS/RCS and remain on the Central Waiting List; the carer must provide at least 80 hours of care per month (with combined-hour thresholds if caring for multiple older adults), and meet low-income criteria.
• Payment: HKD 3,000/month; up to HKD 6,000/month if caring for more than one eligible older adult and meeting required assessments.
• How to apply: Submit forms to SWD’s Carer Support (CAST) channels (or apply online via iAM Smart+), with identity and bank documents required.
Comparing Different Schemes
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CCSV
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EHCCS / IHCS
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RCSV
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HCV
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OALA／OAA／CSSA
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Purpose
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Access community care with flexibility and
choice
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Ageing-at-home with continuous care and caregiver support
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Access residential care with trial option and
switching
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Pay
for private primary healthcare
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Cash
support / safety net
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Requirement
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Standardised
assessment + Central Waiting List; not currently receiving subsidised LTC
services
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Standardised
assessment / referral + waitlisting
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Standardised
assessment for residential care + Central Waiting List
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Generally
eligible if aged 65+
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Varies:
means test for OALA/CSSA; minimal means test for OAA
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Payment
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Co-payment
5%–40%
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Fee
as per rules; largely subsidised
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Co-payment
+ optional top-up to 150%
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Voucher
spending (HKD 2,000/year; cap HKD 8,000)
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Direct
cash payments / fee waivers (CSSA)
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Best
for
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“Flexible
schedule” of home care/rehab/nursing
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Stable,
long-term home care and care management
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24/7
residential care or when family cannot cope
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Chronic
disease management, primary care, prevention
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Low
living support; risk of care-related poverty
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Every family’s journey is different, and we know that finding the right balance of care can be a lot to handle. Whether you need help understanding the CCSV details, checking your eligibility, or simply figuring out which combination of services works best for your loved one, YDCare is here for you. Contact YDCare today for professional guidance tailored to your home care needs.
