Gyeonggi-do to Provide up to 400,000 Won for Health Checkup Costs for Senior Companion Animals Aged 7 and Older

Province to Support Health Checkups for Senior Dogs and Cats
Comprehensive Examinations for Socially Disadvantaged Households
Project Budget Increased More Than Fourfold from Previous Year

Starting this year, Gyeonggi-do will provide financial support for comprehensive health checkup costs for senior companion animals aged 7 and older that are raised by socially disadvantaged households, such as basic livelihood security recipients and people with severe disabilities.

Financial support for comprehensive health checkups for senior companion animals aged 7 and older. Provided by Gyeonggi-do

The "Support Project for Veterinary Services and Other Assistance for Companion Animals of Care-Vulnerable Households" is a program that supports medical, care, and funeral expenses for companion animals of socially disadvantaged groups, and starting this year, a new component has been added to support comprehensive health checkups for senior animals.

Eligible households are those with an income below 120% of the standard median income. Priority is given to basic livelihood security recipients, near-poverty households, people with severe disabilities, single-parent families, multicultural families, and single-person households.

Companion animals must be registered in accordance with the Animal Protection Act, and the comprehensive health checkup for senior animals is limited to companion animals aged 7 and older. For this year, animals born on or before December 31, 2019 are eligible.

Veterinary support for companion animals covers vaccination costs, neutering surgery costs, and basic examination and treatment costs (including surgery). Care support covers consignment care fees for companion animals. Funeral support covers animal funeral fees and cremation fees. The comprehensive health checkup support for senior animals covers comprehensive health checkup costs and vaccination costs.

This year’s project budget is 660 million won, which is more than four times higher than the previous year, allowing for a substantial expansion of the program scale. For medical, care, and funeral expenses, up to 200,000 won per animal is provided, including a 40,000 won copayment by the owner. For comprehensive health checkup costs for senior animals, up to 400,000 won per animal is provided, including an 80,000 won copayment.

Applicants must submit an application form to the city or county office corresponding to their address on the resident registration. After receiving services at animal hospitals or consignment facilities within Gyeonggi-do, they must first pay the costs themselves and then submit supporting documents such as payment receipts to the city or county to receive the subsidy.

All 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi-do are participating in this project. Specific details such as the application period, eligibility, and application methods will be announced on each city or county’s official website.

Byeon Heejung, Head of the Companion Animal Division of Gyeonggi-do, said, "We have expanded the scale of support and newly introduced comprehensive health checkup support for senior animals so that companion animals, which can help ease the loneliness of vulnerable groups, can stay healthy by their side for longer," adding, "Gyeonggi-do will create a warm companion animal culture where people and animals share each other’s warmth and can walk together until the very end."

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