BEIJING, March 24 (Xinhua) -- More than 1.05 million seniors in China have benefited from a nationwide subsidy program, which provides consumption vouchers for elderly care services to disabled individuals, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Tuesday.

The program, which started on Jan. 1, has facilitated the nationwide use of over three million vouchers, with a total verified value of 2.35 billion yuan (about 341 million U.S. dollars). These vouchers have driven an estimated 11.5 billion yuan in elderly care consumption, according to the ministry.

The vouchers, released monthly in electronic form, can be used to cover a wide range of services, such as meal assistance, bathing assistance, housekeeping assistance, mobility support, emergency aid, medical assistance, rehabilitation nursing and daytime care.

Seniors or their designated representatives can apply for the subsidy through an official app. Those assessed as eligible will receive consumption vouchers worth up to 800 yuan per month, which can be used to offset part of the cost of community and institutional elderly care services.

"Unlike previous programs that distinguished recipients based on economic status, this policy represents a large-scale welfare initiative targeting seniors with moderate to severe disabilities," said Sun Wencan, a senior official of the ministry.

The assessment, which focuses on applicants' self-care capability, mobility, mental state, perception, and social participation, must be done in accordance with national standards, the official said. "The evaluation results must be reliable and stand up to scrutiny."

Du Peng, dean of the School of Population and Health and director of the Institute of Gerontology at Renmin University of China, described the policy as an "innovative and landmark" shift in the development of the country's elderly care services.

He noted that the program focuses on three key aspects, namely the population with the most pressing needs, scenarios of elderly care consumption, and standardized third-party assessment mechanisms.

"It injects a stable stream of targeted purchasing power into the market," Du said. "This not only directly eases the burden on families but, more importantly, drives supply-side improvements and expansion via demand-side reform. It effectively incentivizes the allocation of resources toward professional elderly care services."

To expand coverage of this program, the ministry said it will streamline procedures, improve service quality and strengthen oversight during program operations, ensuring more elderly people benefit from the country's development.