Yangcheon-gu Supports Medical Expenses for Elderly Pet Owners

Yangcheon-gu, the First Autonomous District in Seoul to Support Medical Expenses for Elderly Pet Owners

‘Yangcheon-style Our Neighborhood Animal Hospital’ Operated to Support Medical Expenses for Pets of Elderly Receiving Basic Pension Aged 65 and Over

Support up to 400,000 KRW per year per household for one pet: 200,000 KRW for essential treatment + 200,000 KRW for optional treatment

Signed designation agreements with 10 local animal hospitals; visit hospitals with ID and basic pension recipient certificate

Yangcheon-gu Mayor Lee Gi-jae is visiting Yongwangsan Companion Dog Shelter last year and having a conversation with residents.

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Lee Gi-jae) announced that it will officially operate the ‘Yangcheon-style Our Neighborhood Animal Hospital’ project starting this month, which supports essential medical expenses such as basic health checkups and vaccinations for pets of elderly residents aged 65 and over who receive the basic pension, aiming to reduce their economic burden. This is the first such initiative among autonomous districts in Seoul.

The district recognized that veterinary expenses pose a significant financial burden on households of elderly residents, most of whom are retirees aged 65 and over. Therefore, it plans to expand the existing medical expense support program, which was previously limited to vulnerable groups such as basic livelihood security recipients, to include elderly basic pension recipients, thereby contributing to the welfare of pets in elderly households.

Prior to launching the project, the district signed designation agreements in June with 10 local animal hospitals to provide pro bono medical services under the ‘Yangcheon-style Our Neighborhood Animal Hospital’ program.

In particular, to enhance convenience for elderly users, the district selected at least two designated hospitals per legal neighborhood (beopjeong-dong) to minimize travel distances.

The support targets dogs and cats of elderly residents aged 65 and over who receive the basic pension and reside in the district. Pets must be registered, and the registered owner must be the same person applying for the medical expense support. The goal for this year is to support 195 pets, providing essential medical expenses once per year for one pet per household.

The support is divided into essential treatment and optional treatment, with a maximum support amount of 400,000 KRW per pet. For essential treatment, pet owners pay a consultation fee of 5,000 KRW per visit (up to 10,000 KRW), and medical expenses worth approximately 300,000 KRW?including basic checkups, vaccinations, and heartworm prevention medication?are supported. The essential treatment cost includes about 100,000 KRW worth of pro bono services provided by the animal hospitals. Optional treatment provides additional support of up to 200,000 KRW for treatment of symptoms or diseases discovered during essential treatment or for neutering surgery. However, simple prescriptions such as grooming and nutritional supplements are not supported.

Elderly residents wishing to receive medical expense support should visit one of the designated ‘Yangcheon-style Our Neighborhood Animal Hospitals’ with an ID and a basic pension recipient certificate issued within the last month from the local community service center.

The designated animal hospitals are as follows: ▲ Mok-dong: Dr. Pet Animal Hospital, Pet Sarang Animal Hospital ▲ Sinwol-dong: Min Byung-chul Animal Hospital, Sunshine Animal Hospital, Yangcheon General Animal Hospital, Sinwol Animal Hospital ▲ Sinjeong-dong: Parkside Animal Medical Center, SangSang Animal Hospital, Sinjeong Animal Hospital, Million Animal Hospital, totaling 10 locations.

Lee Gi-jae, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “We are starting the first medical expense support project in Seoul’s autonomous districts for pets of elderly basic pension recipients to reduce the financial burden and provide emotional stability to our elderly residents through their companion animals. We will continue to do our best to provide more delicate and creative administrative services in line with the diverse needs of our residents.”

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