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Guide

Home modifications under long-term care insurance in Kawasaki

Handrails and removing steps are covered up to 200,000 yen, and Support Levels qualify too. But nothing is paid unless you file before the work starts. In Kawasaki you file with the Benefits desk of the ward office — not the certification desk you used before.

How it goes

  1. Talk to a care manager first

    The written statement of need has to be prepared by a care manager or a community support centre. Neither the resident nor the contractor can write it.

    Free of charge

    Find your centre

  2. Choose a contractor and get a quote

    The choice made here decides how you pay — not what you pay.

    A registered contractor

    You pay only your own 10–30% share. The city pays the rest directly to the contractor.

    Any other contractor

    You pay the whole cost first, then claim the benefit back afterwards.

    The work itself may be done by either. Only the way you pay differs.

  3. File before any work starts

    File with the Long-Term Care Benefits desk of the Elderly and Disability Division at your ward office.

    Before the work

    This is where people lose the money

    Work started before this application is not covered at all — not partly, not later. “We had it fitted, then asked” is the most common way this goes wrong.

    This is a different phone number from the certification desk in the same division — six of the seven wards differ.

  4. Wait for approval, then start

    Building begins once the approval reaches you.

  5. Work is completed and paid for

    Keep the receipt. Under the registered route you pay only your own share here.

  6. File the claim after completion

    The second filing — with the receipt and photographs of the finished work.

    After the work

  7. The benefit is paid

    Up to 200,000 yen of the cost qualifies, and 70–90% of that is paid, depending on your co-payment rate.

    Payment is made on the 27th of the month after the application is accepted.

Nothing is paid if the application is not filed before the work begins. There are two filings, one before the work and one after. Having the work done first and asking afterwards is the most common way people lose this money.

Who it covers

Anyone certified at Support Level 1–2 or Care Level 1–5 who is living at home. Support Levels qualify — this is not only for heavy care needs.

How much

200,000 yen of the cost qualifies, and 70–90% of that is paid back, depending on the co-payment rate printed on your burden-ratio certificate.

  • 10% co-payment … 180,000 yen paid (you pay 20,000)
  • 20% co-payment … 160,000 yen paid
  • 30% co-payment … 140,000 yen paid

What work qualifies

Six categories, set nationally:

  • Fitting handrails
  • Removing differences in floor level
  • Changing flooring to prevent slipping or to ease movement
  • Replacing doors, for example with sliding doors
  • Replacing the toilet, for example with a western-style one
  • Work that is unavoidably needed to carry out any of the above

These six categories come from a national ordinance and are the same in every city. Work outside the six — remodelling a bathroom, for example — may instead be covered by the city's own home-improvement grant (up to 1,000,000 yen; the page is in Japanese).

You may not have to pay the whole amount up front

With direct payment you pay only your own 10–30% share, and the city pays the rest straight to the contractor. There is no claim to wait for.

In Kawasaki this works only if the contractor is on the city's registered list. Any contractor may do the work, but with an unregistered one you pay the whole cost first. Check the list before you choose.

Lists for contractors based outside the city are on the source page.

Choosing a contractor

The city publishes a checklist for choosing a contractor — how to compare quotes and what to confirm before signing. It is in Japanese, but it is worth going through with your care manager.

The main forms

The remaining forms and worked examples are on the source page.

Ward office desks (Benefits)

Applications go to the Benefits desk of the Elderly and Disability Division — not the certification desk you dealt with for the care-level application. Six of the seven wards have a different number for it; only Kawasaki Ward shares one.

区電話所在地
川崎区044-201-3282〒210-8570
川崎市川崎区東田町8番地
幸区044-556-6689〒212-8570
川崎市幸区戸手本町1丁目11番地1
中原区044-744-3136〒211-8570
川崎市中原区小杉町3丁目245番地
高津区044-861-3269〒213-8570
川崎市高津区下作延2丁目8番1号
宮前区044-856-3238〒216-8570
川崎市宮前区宮前平2丁目20番5号
多摩区044-935-3187〒214-8570
川崎市多摩区登戸1775番地1
麻生区044-965-5146〒215-8570
川崎市麻生区万福寺1丁目5番1号

The numbers above are those published in the city's FAQ (No. 12955). Staff answer in Japanese.

Find your support centre Official page (Japanese)

Source: Kawasaki City · Last verified 2026-09-12. Rules change. Check the source page before you act on this. This is a plain-English summary of public information, not an official translation.

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