The Central Provident Fund Board has come out to clarify the circumstances surrounding a 55-year-old Singaporean, Mdm Carena Tan’s request to draw out her CPF savings to pay for her mentally ill son’s treatment.
The CPF Board rejected her request, citing that she would not be able to set aside the full retirement sum of S$171,000 in her Retirement Account if she withdrew the S$70,000 she applied to withdraw. It instead asked her to “re-consider approaching the Social Service Office @ Bukit Panjang for financial assistance.
“reluctant to ask for handouts till she has exhausted her own resources, and as she sees her CPF as her own money, she wants to use it to solve her immediate problems,”“I am not disputing the official position but please may I just ask that we look at this poor woman more charitably? “Is it possible to appreciate the fact that she wants to use her own money FIRST to solve her problems?