South Korea counseling vouchers for parents of disabled children see low usage

A recent report reveals that the utilization rate of counseling vouchers for parents of individuals with developmental disabilities in South Korea has remained stagnant in the 60% range for five years. Data provided by the Korea Social Security Information Service to Representative Seo Mi-hwa of the National Assembly shows that between 2021 and 2025, only 5.099 billion KRW of the 8.162 billion KRW in generated vouchers was actually used, meaning approximately 38% of the allocated funds went unused.

Despite the low utilization rate, demand for the service is rising sharply. The number of applicants increased by 77.2% from 710 in 2021 to 1,258 in 2025, while the number of selected participants grew by 85.1%. Geographically, the highest numbers of participants are located in Gyeonggi and Seoul, while regions like Sejong and Gangwon report the lowest.

The primary reason cited for the low usage is the heavy burden of caregiving, which leaves parents with insufficient time to attend counseling sessions. Representative Seo Mi-hwa emphasized that the government should not merely increase voucher amounts but must also establish a support foundation, such as respite and care services, to ensure parents can actually participate in the counseling.