Starting June 28, the Injury Grant and the Interim Maintenance Grant of the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Scheme will be merged into the Compassionate Grant (CG), the Social Welfare Department announced today.

An applicant eligible for the CG will receive $330 per day for a maximum of 60 days of sick leave.

Subject to meeting other criteria, a CG applicant must obtain certification from a registered medical practitioner, including a registered Chinese medicine practitioner, that his/her injury requires hospitalisation for no less than seven days or sick leave for at least seven days. An applicant can only apply for CG once within two years.

The revised arrangements will apply to applications involving traffic accidents that happen at or after midnight on June 28. Victims of traffic accidents that happened before that time can still apply for the Injury Grant and the Interim Maintenance Grant.

The arrangements for the other three grants under the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Scheme, ie the Burial Grant, Death Grant and Disability Grant, will remain unchanged.

The Social Welfare Department explained that the Government has no intention of altering the original policy intent of the scheme. It said the revised arrangements, approved by the Legislative Council Finance Committee today, aim to enhance the scheme so that it can provide modest but timely relief to victims of traffic accidents in a sustainable manner, help victims overcome short-term financial difficulties, ensure proper use of public resources, and prevent abuse and fraudulent behaviour.

For individuals with financial difficulties or other welfare needs, the department said it will provide them with appropriate support, including referring them to apply for the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance or other assistance.