The Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) is one of the Ministry of Health (MOH)’s programmes to help provide accessible and affordable medical and dental care to Singaporeans.
Under CHAS, members receive subsidies for outpatient medical treatments for chronic and/or acute conditions as well as selected dental services at participating CHAS General Practitioners (GPs) and dental clinics near their homes. CHAS members will also enjoy subsidised referrals to specialist outpatient clinics when required.
For patients with chronic conditions, CHAS works in conjunction with the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) allowing Medisave usage for the outpatient treatment (of the same set of chronic conditions) covered under CHAS. Besides enjoying subsidies for their chronic disease treatments, the patient could also tap into their Medisave to defray part of the cost of these treatments. The Medisave withdrawal limit is $400 per Medisave account, per year.
The qualifying age for CHAS is 40 years old and the qualifying income criteria is $1,500 per capita household monthly income. For instance, a family of four with a total gross monthly household income of $4,500 (per capita household monthly income = $4,500 ÷ 4 = $1,125) will qualify for CHAS, provided that they are Singapore Citizens above 40 years old.
The following persons are eligible for CHAS:
Singapore citizens aged 40 and above, or disabled (i.e. unable to do any of the following six activities of daily living (ADLs) without assistance: washing/bathing, toileting, transferring, feeding, dressing, and/or mobility); and meet the following income criteria:
- Per capita household monthly income is $1,500 and below for economically active households; or
- Annual Value (AV) of residence as reflected on NRICs is $13,000 and below for households with no income
All family members (related by blood, marriage and/or legal adoption) living at the same address as the main applicant, as reflected on their NRICs, should include their details on the same application form as the main applicant. Their income would contribute towards the household’s per capita monthly income.
Members who are on Public Assistance (PA) scheme will also be eligible for CHAS subsidies.
You can pick up a CHAS application form at any Restructured Hospital, Polyclinic, Community Centre and Club (CC) or Community Development Council (CDC). Alternatively, you could download the application form here.
If more than one family member from the same household is applying for CHAS, only one duly completed & signed application form is required to be sent to P.O. Box 680, Bukit Merah Central Post Office, Singapore 911536, with:
- clear copies of NRICs (front and back) of the main applicant and all family members, and/or
- clear copies of birth certificate(s) if NRIC is not available for family members below 15 years old
Please also include foreign identification documents for submission if your family members are not Singapore citizens.
How do I go for disability assessment?
After submission of your completed CHAS application, a Functional Assessment Report will be mailed to you if you meet the income criteria. With the report, you will then need to undergo a disability assessment conducted by any Singapore Medical Council-registered doctor or a GP who is on the preferred list of MOH-accredited disability assessors. You will have to bear the cost of the disability assessment as part of the application process. The Functional Assessment Report has to be mailed back to AIC at P.O. Box 680 Bukit Merah Central Post Office, Singapore 911536.
How do I know if my application is successful?
If your application is successful, you will receive either a blue or orange Health Assist card, depending on your per capita household monthly income level, and all eligible family members within your household (i.e. have the same address as you on their respective NRICs) will also be issued a Health Assist card.
The Health Assist card is valid for two years. You will also receive a welcome pack which will include information on the usage of the Health Assist card and a list of CHAS clinics to help you decide which clinic is most convenient for you.
You are encouraged to see the same family doctor every time you are sick. By doing so, the doctor knows your family background and medical history and will be in a better position to advise you on how to live a healthy lifestyle and manage any medical conditions.
| Health Assist card |
Blue card
|
Orange card
|
Your Health Assist card is for your exclusive use and cannot be used by your family members. If you lose the card, please inform AIC at 1800-ASK-CHAS [1800-275-2427] and a new card will be sent to you.
How much subsidies will I receive?
The colour of the Health Assist card indicates the subsidy tier that you are entitled for, either CHAS Subsidy Blue or Orange tier.
You are required to co-pay for your treatment under CHAS. Thus, please check with your doctor/dentist on the fees before you proceed with the treatment.
Table 1: CHAS Subsidy Tiers
| CHAS Subsidy Tiers |
Subsidy Received |
| Common Conditions |
Chronic Conditions under CDMP |
Dental Services |
CHAS Subsidy Blue Tier
Blue Health Assist card
|
For those with per capita household monthly income* of $900 and below;
OR
Households with no income will be assessed by the Annual Value** of
their residence, which should be $13,000 and below
|
Up to $18.50 per visit |
Up to $80 per visit
and up to $320^ or $480^ per calendar year |
Up to $256.50 per procedure
|
Community Medical Benefits card for Elderly#
|
Community Medical Benefits card for Disabled#
|
Public Assistance card#
|
CHAS Subsidy Orange Tier
Orange Health Assist card
|
For those with per capita household monthly income above $900 but less than or equal to $1,500
|
Not Applicable |
Up to $50 per visit
and up to $200^^ or $300^^ per calendar year
|
Up to $170.50 per procedure for selected procedures only |
Conditions Covered:
CHAS members will receive subsidies for treatment of chronic conditions and/or common illnesses and selected dental services at participating CHAS clinics. The following are covered under CHAS:
Common Medical Illnesses
- Abdominal pain
- Cough, cold and flu
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle, bone and joint pains
- Skin infection and rashes
- Sore eyes
- Urinary tract infection
The above list is not exhaustive.
Chronic Conditions
- Asthma
- Bipolar disorder
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Dementia
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Lipid Disorders (e.g. high cholesterol)
- Major depression
- Schizophrenia
- Stroke
You can check with your GP clinic how much subsidy you have left for the year.
Selected Dental Services
- Crowning
- Denture
- Denture reline
- Root canal treatment
- Cementation*
- Curettage, infected socket*
- Extraction*
- Filling*
- Polishing*
- Scaling*
- Topical fluoride*
* Not applicable for CHAS Subsidy Orange Tier.
How can I receive treatment under CHAS?
All participating CHAS GPs and dental clinics will display the CHAS decal on their door/clinic-front. You can visit any CHAS clinic of your choice. Please call your preferred clinic for details on the range of services available there. In order to receive subsidies for your treatment at the CHAS clinic, you will need to show both your NRIC and valid Health Assist/CMB/PA card upon registration.