21 Article 16 17. The Disability Rating System The Government has been dividing disabled persons into six classes according to the Act on Welfare of Persons with Disabilities and has been providing welfare benefits accordingly. The Disability Rating System has the inherent problem of providing uniform services according to disability class, thereby not being able to provide services tailored to the actual circumstances of the disabled individuals. In Korea, disability is rated only by medical factors. The ICF (International Classification of Functioning, an international functioning, disability and health standard established by the WHO and used by many countries when rating disability levels) standard, which takes into consideration the actual circumstances of each individual, is not applied when rating the level of disability. In early 2014 the Ministry of Health and Welfare established a Comprehensive Disability Evaluation System Reform Task Force comprised of academia, government officials and members of the disability community to abolish the Disability Rating System. Questions How does the Comprehensive Disability Evaluation System (which the Government is providing as an alternative solution) differ from the existing Disability Rating System? What plans do the Korean Government have to abolish or amend the problems of the Disability Rating System and ensure the practical rights of the disabled according to each individual’s circumstances?

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