Lianhe Zaobao, 8 Nov
Voices, Pg 27
We refer to Mdm Ang Siew Tan’s letter “People with disabilities face difficulties withdrawing CPF” (30 October 2018).
When the CPF Board is made aware that a member could lack the mental capacity to handle monies, we will request a medical certification to verify his or her mental condition before processing the application for CPF withdrawals. This is to safeguard members’ savings and to prevent fraudulent withdrawals.
In the case of Mdm Ang’s sister, we had informed Mdm Ang that we require a medical certification to ascertain her sister’s mental capacity before assessing her eligibility to withdraw her CPF savings. She had then approached the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) to obtain the medical certification but IMH could only provide a detailed medical report which required assessment of the patient and hence a higher fee.
We regret the inconvenience that the family had faced and have since contacted Mdm Ang to explain that we do not require a detailed medical report from IMH, and that a certification from an accredited general practitioner will be sufficient. We have also arranged for her sister to visit our panel of doctors to obtain the medical certification.
Irene Kang (Ms)
Group Director (Communications)
Central Provident Fund Board