Environmental Pollution Damage Relief Care Living Allowance, Grade 1 Standard Increased from 1.31 Million to 1.46 Million Won per Month

Ministry of Environment Announces Amendment and Promulgation of Subordinate Legislation under the Environmental Pollution Damage Relief Act

Payment Standard Amount, Median Income 89.7% → 100%
Damage Grades Reduced from 10 to 5
Victims in Grades 4 and 5 Can Choose Between 'Monthly Allowance or Lump Sum'

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The individual nursing living allowance for environmental pollution damage will increase by 11.5%, from 1.31 million KRW to 1.46 million KRW based on Grade 1.

On the 31st, the Ministry of Environment announced that the subordinate regulations of the "Act on Liability for Environmental Pollution Damage and Relief" containing these details will be amended and promulgated on the 1st of next month.

First, with this amendment to the subordinate regulations, the payment standard amount for the nursing living allowance will be raised from 89.7% of the median income (2.76 million KRW based on 2021) to 100% (3.08 million KRW). The individual nursing living allowance amount is determined by multiplying the payment standard amount (median income) by the payment ratio according to the damage grade, and the damage grades determining the payment ratio will be adjusted from 10 grades to 5 grades. The Ministry of Environment expects that by applying the new damage grade evaluation criteria, more than 50% of victims who were previously not recognized with a damage grade will now be acknowledged and able to receive the nursing living allowance.

An official from the Ministry of Environment explained, "The nursing living allowance for asbestos and humidifier disinfectant victims is already paid at 100% of the median income," adding, "The damage relief grading system is also improved to align with other damage relief grades and standard amounts, such as asbestos with 4 grades and humidifier disinfectant with 5 grades plus non-graded, thereby enhancing the environmental pollution damage relief benefit system."

Additionally, victims in Grades 4 and 5, whose nursing living allowance amounts are relatively low, will be given the option to receive a lump sum instead of a monthly allowance, expanding victims' choices. Based on this year’s standards, if the nursing living allowance for three years is received as a lump sum, Grade 4 victims will receive 12.64 million KRW, and Grade 5 victims will receive 5.26 million KRW.

The method for determining environmental pollution damage grades will change to an evaluation based on the overall severity of the victim’s condition. The severity assessment selects diseases caused by environmental pollution from the victim’s existing illnesses, assigns severity scores to each disease, and sums them to determine the damage grade through a quantitative evaluation method. Based on the evaluation score, grades are assigned from Grade 1 to Grade 5 and non-graded. Grade 1 corresponds to a severity evaluation score of "over 90 to 100," with a monthly payment of 1.463 million KRW, which is 47.5% of the median income; Grade 2 corresponds to a score of over 70 to 90, with a monthly payment of 1.053 million KRW, or 34.2% of the median income. Those with a severity evaluation score of 20 or below, classified as "non-graded," will not receive the nursing living allowance.

The indicators for severity evaluation include ▲physical symptoms ▲complications ▲prognosis (the degree to which health may worsen if untreated) ▲planned treatment period. Based on medical institution examination and test results, the Environmental Pollution Damage Investigation Team assigns scores, and the Environmental Pollution Damage Relief Committee makes the final decision.

The Ministry of Environment plans to re-evaluate the damage grades of existing recognized victims within six months and provide nursing living allowances corresponding to the new grades.

Along with this, the amendment to the subordinate regulations clearly includes chemical accidents as causes of environmental pollution damage. Previously, damages caused by chemical accidents without accompanying environmental pollution such as air, water, or soil pollution were a blind spot in environmental pollution damage compensation. Now, such damages can be compensated through environmental liability insurance, etc.

Park Yong-gyu, Director of Environmental Health Policy at the Ministry of Environment, said, "By increasing relief benefit amounts and rationally improving damage grade criteria, we can provide practical help for victims’ recovery," adding, "We will continue to do our best to operate the environmental pollution damage relief system to reduce the suffering of residents affected by environmental pollution damage as much as possible."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.