Financial Assistance For Single Parent Households Assistance For Those Supporting

							Financial Assistance For Single-Parent Households
Assistance For Those Supporting Children
This is a system of financial support to ensure a stable home environment for the
children of single-parent families.


A. Eligibility
Assistance will be paid to the mother/caretaker of children up to 18 years of age
(up to the last day of the fiscal year in which the child turns 18; if the child is
disabled, assistance will be continued until the child turns 20), provided that one
of the following criteria is met.
1. The child’s parents have divorced.
2. The child’s father has died.
3. The child’s father is seriously disabled or has been injured.
4.   The child has been abandoned by his/her father for over 1 year.
5.   The child’s father has been imprisoned for over 1 year.
6.   The child was born out of wedlock.
7.   The child’s parents cannot be identified.


Those With The Following Circumstances Are Not Eligible:
-The child is eligible to collect public pension funds for the death of one or both
parents.
-The child is eligible to receive compensation (under the Labor Standards Law or
other legislation) for the death of a parent.
-The child’s father receives extra disability pension funds because he has
children.
-The child is in daycare, or is being cared for by foster parents.
-The child is being cared for by the mother’s mate/domestic partner (including
common-law marriages)
[N.B.: Any of these reasons may be valid if the child’s father is severely injured or
disabled.]
-The child’s mother/guardian is eligible to receive public pension benefits (not
including welfare pension for the elderly).
-The child’s mother/guardian has been eligible for assistance for over 5 years,
but has not applied (for those whose period of eligibility began after August 1,
1985).
**If any of the above circumstances arise while you are already receiving
assistance, you must file a report with your City Hall immediately.
**If you fail to file a report and keep receiving assistance, you will be required to
return the money.


B. Application Procedures
To receive assistance, you must fill out an official application at your local City
Hall. (Even if you eligible, you will not receive assistance unless you fill out an
official application.)


C. Payment
The application must be officially approved by the Governor of the prefecture
or the Mayor of the city in which the applicant resides (as of August 2002, all
those residing in cities will need approval from their Mayors). Assistance will be
paid starting the month after that in which the application was approved. The
money will be automatically transferred into the bank/financial account of your
choice each April, August, and December. If you wish, you may make the
assistance certificate under the name “  ” (aiji; “my beloved child”), in which
case you may also have the money transferred to a post office account, or have
it mailed directly to your home.


D. Amounts** (as of October 2003)
Classification              Full assistance              Partial assistance
1 child                      42,000 yen                  41,990-9,910 yen
2 children                  47,000 yen                   46,990-14,910 yen
3 or more children          +3000 yen per month for “
                            each additional child
**Amounts are per month.


E. Restrictions
If the parents/guardians (or the people who care for them) have an income
higher than the figures below, assistance will be reduced or terminated.
Table of Maximum Income for Assistance Recipients
(valid from August 2003 through July 2004)
# of                 For   parent      or                        For other person
dependents           guardian                                    financially
                     Receiving        full Receiving partial supporting          the
                     assistance            assistance        family
0                    190, 000               1,920,000            2,360,000
1                    570,000                2,300,000            2,740,000
2                    950,000                2,680,000            3,120,000
3                    1,330,000              3,060,000            3,500,000
4                    1,710,000              3,440,000            3,880,000
5                    2,090,000              3,820,000            4,260,000


F. Statement of Current Circumstances
         Those receiving assistance are required to file a statement explaining
their current circumstances each year, between August 1 and August 31. Turn in
the statement, along with the appropriate paperwork, to your local City Hall.
         If the statement is not received, you will not be able to continue receiving
assistance, so please remember to turn it in by August 31. We appreciate your
understanding.