Children’s Medical Subsidies 子ども医療費助成制度

From October 1, 2011 Nagoya City children’s medical subsidies were extended from their current scope to include a broader age range of children.

Subsidies are now available for:

1) - children up to (and including) elementary 6th grade →　junior high school 3rd grade to help with the cost of regular hospital visits and examinations at medical institutions.
2) – children up to (and including) junior high school 3rd grade to help with the cost of hospitalization.
Subsidies will be available regardless of a family’s household income. However, costs incurred during hospitalization not covered by insurance, such as meal and room upgrade charges, are not covered by the subsidies.

When you take your child to see a doctor: Please show your “Children’s Medical Care Card” together with your health insurance card at the information desk of the attending hospital/medical facility. The portion of the medical expenses normally born by the insured parent will be covered by the City of Nagoya to allow your child to receive medical treatment free of charge.

To obtain a Children’s Medical Care Card:

Card application forms for children affected by the change were sent out to households in July and August 2011. If you do not already have a card and did not receive an application for your go to the Health Insurance and Pension Division of your local municipal office or its branch office and apply for a (kodomo iryo-sho 子ども医療証). Please be sure to take your health insurance card with you.

Applications: Health Insurance & Pension Division of Ward Offices or Branch Offices
Inquiries: Health & Welfare Bureau, Medical Welfare Division. Tel: 052-972-2574 Fax: 052-972-4148

Child Support Allowance For Single Parents

From August 2010 the current system of government-sponsored child support allowances (jido fuyo – teate 児童扶養手当) was expanded to include single fathers.

Child allowances for low-income single-parent families are paid three times a year – in April, August and December. Low-income father-only families who apply before November 30 will be eligible for the allowance from December.

Depending on the level of the beneficiary’s income, the allowances range from 9850 Yen to 41,720 Yen a month for the first child, an additional 5000 Yen a month for the 2nd child, and 3000 Yen a month for any additional children.

Eligibility
Allowances are payable to single-parent families who are raising children younger than 18 years of age (until March 31st following the 18th birthday), and under 20 years of age for children with physical or mental disabilities, where any one of the following conditions are met.

1. The child is lives separately from the mother or father because the parents are divorced or separated.
2. The child’s mother or father is deceased.
3. The child’s mother or father is severely disabled (Physically-Disabled Person’s Handbook Level 1 or 2).
4. It is not known if the child’s mother or father is alive or deceased.
5. The child has been abandoned by the mother or father for a year or more.
6. The child’s mother or father has been held in legal custody for a year or more.
7. There is no father (the child was born out of wedlock).

Please be aware that application and payment procedure may vary between municipalities. For full details about the application process where you live please contact the children’s section (kodomo-ka 子ども課) of your local city hall or ward office.

Allowances for Child-Rearing 2011 / 12 

The central government provides a monthly allowance of 13,000 Yen for every child of middle school age or younger (regardless of nationality) in Japan during the 2011 / 12 fiscal year.

The allowance has been extended up until March 31, 2012.

- There is no income limitation on households receiving the benefits.
- Only children that are registered with their local municipality and born after April 2, 1995 will be eligible
- Those with Temporary Visitor status or those who are staying illegally will not be eligible.
- Each household will receive 13,000 Yen per month per eligible child* (may change from October 1, 2011)

Each local municipality (including Nagoya City) will be responsible for distributing the allowances, and the distribution period and method will vary depending upon the local municipality. For Nagoya City, monthly allowances will be paid consolidated together out in lump sums in June (2 months worth), October (4 months worth), February (4 months worth), and June 2011 (2 months worth).

Changes to the Child Benefits System from October 10月以降子ども手当制度につて

Up until September 2011 all children aged 15 or under (born after April 2, 1996) that met the eligibility requirements – including those children living abroad – were entitled to receive child-rearing payments. However from October 1, with the exception of those children abroad for study purposes (see below), children that are not currently resident in Japan will not be eligible to receive child-rearing payments.

Applying for Children who are studying abroad. Does your child qualify?

• The child has lived in Japan for at least 3 consecutive years.
• The child is living abroad away from parents for the purpose of study.
• The child’s total stay abroad is less than 3 years.

If your child is abroad and meets these conditions they will still be eligible to receive the allowance if you submit a letter from the foreign school showing proof of enrollment (translated into Japanese by a Japan based third-party translator) along with proof of residency in Japan (school records or copy of alien registration card) to the child care section (民生子ども課 ) of your ward office’s welfare division.

Families that have a new-born (both for the first time or as an addition) or have moved to Nagoya need to apply at their local ward office in order to receive child-rearing payments.

When applying you will need to bring health insurance certificates for all children in your family aged 18 or under (born after April 2, 1993), as well as your bank book, cash card, and inkan (if you have one). After application, parents will be able to receive the allowance from the following month.

Even if your child is registered with your ward office / city hall, depending upon your municipality additional paperwork may be required. Don’t miss out.

Parenting Support Salon

ピア・サポートサロン「子育てのこと話そう！」

Meet up and talk about parenting and child-raising. Don’t get stressed out, share your problems and advice with other parents; parents can also bring children. The next session at the Nagoya International Center on Sunday, November 6 (14:00 – 15:30) is specifically for parents of Filipino heritage. Numbers are limited and pre-registration is required. Register by either by calling (052-581-0100) or visiting the Nagoya International Center 3F Information Counter.