Since the beginning of this year, the district has distributed 8,643 electronic consumer vouchers for elderly care services, with 7,222 vouchers redeemed and a total redemption value of 4.74016 million yuan, reflecting an 80% utilization rate of allocated funds. These vouchers are primarily used to offset costs related to bed fees, nursing care, meal assistance and bathing services, rehabilitation care, and assessment fees. This initiative has been highlighted by both the People's Daily and the CCTV program "Xinwen Lianbo".

Starting from January this year, Jiangsu Province has extended elderly care service consumption subsidies to all residents aged 60 and above who have been assessed with moderate to severe disability, effectively implementing a system where "subsidies follow the individual, and funds follow the services". The subsidies are issued in the form of electronic consumer vouchers, allowing eligible seniors to receive up to 800 yuan per month to offset costs for home-based, community, and institutional elderly care services. This approach has successfully tackled the pressing social issue of "one disabled family member, a family thrown into imbalance".

To encourage active participation from various service providers, Jiangsu has publicly solicited qualified elderly care institutions and assessment agencies, clearly stating that, in principle, any institution or agency meeting the fundamental requirements can participate in the consumer subsidy program.

Eighty-two-year-old Grandpa Xue resides at the Xiyanghong Comfort Center, a local elderly care institution, where he has been assessed as moderately disabled. "We initially thought that caring for a disabled senior would incur extra costs, but unexpectedly, my father began receiving subsidies just one month after admission," said his daughter-in-law, Ms. Zhang. She further calculated: "The monthly costs are 1,350 yuan for bed fees, 800 yuan for meals, and 900 yuan for nursing care, totaling 3,050 yuan. According to the policy, the subsidy is set at 40% of the total cost, capped at 800 yuan, so my father receives an 800 yuan elderly care service consumption subsidy every month."

Beyond institutional care, the consumption subsidy policy also extends to home-based elderly care. In Hutang Town, 88-year-old Wang Ada has long-term mobility issues due to sequelae from a sudden stroke, classifying him as severely disabled. During the day, when his children are at work, he has no one to care for him. After the policy was implemented, Wang Ada became one of the first to apply. Since March this year, professional caregivers have been providing in-home care for him. The monthly service contract is 4,300 yuan, of which long-term care insurance offsets 1,590 yuan, and the elderly care service vouchers cover an additional 800 yuan. Consequently, the family only pays 1,910 yuan per month, significantly easing their financial burden.

"Vouchers are claimed online, with a one-to-one system where everything can be managed via a smartphone," explained Zhang Luoxin, head of the Elderly Care Services Section at the District Civil Affairs Bureau. Seniors assessed as moderately disabled or above can claim their monthly electronic voucher on the first day of each month and, after linking it to an elderly care institution through the 'Minzhengtong' app, use it for services. To address the challenge where some seniors and their families are unaware or unfamiliar with the claiming process, the District Civil Affairs Bureau has distributed over 30,000 copies of a "Guide for Applying for Elderly Care Consumption Subsidies" across the district, ensuring the policy reaches every household and individual.

In the next phase, the district will continue to improve the redemption efficiency of electronic vouchers, expand home-based care services, and tap into the growth potential of elderly care consumption. The focus will be on enhancing service supply capacity and the efficiency of fund utilization, ensuring the subsidy policy is well-implemented so that more seniors with moderate to severe disabilities can benefit from these initiatives.