Govt raises elderly allowance, adjusts money for children, disabled

The cabinet agreed on Friday to raise the monthly allowance for senior citizens and adjust the allowances for children and the disabled.
The elderly allowance will be increased according to age brackets, said government spokesman Jirayu Huangsap.
The new allowances for the elderly are as follows:
The financial support for children up to six years old will be adjusted to be 600 baht per month. Previously, it was available only to families with a maximum annual income of 100,000 baht and started when a baby was born. Under the new scheme, support will begin when a woman is four months pregnant, according to the spokesman.
The allowance for the disabled will change from a range of 800 to 1,000 baht to a uniform amount of 1,000 baht across the board.
The adjustments were proposed by the Social Development and Human Security Ministry during the mobile cabinet meeting in Chiang Mai province.
It remains unclear when the changes will take effect.
Earlier this month, Deputy Finance Minister Paopoom Rojanasakul said the Ministry of Finance is preparing to propose a one-time cash payment of 10,000 baht to the elderly.