Validity of the certificates, which were extended by the Act of 19 December 2023 on special solutions to maintain the validity of certain disability certificates and certificates on the degree of disability will expire on 30 September 2024. According to the estimates, approximately 399,599 people are affected.

Validity of the certificate has been extended by 6 months

As the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy points out – it was necessary to prepare regulations enabling the status of persons with disabilities to be maintained while waiting for a new certificate to be issued. This will be conditional on an application for the next certificate.

The bill adopted by the Council of Ministers on 16 July this year envisages extending the validity of disability certificates and certificates on the degree of disability by a maximum of six months.

The absence of this provision would result in the loss of benefits and allowance for a significant proportion of people wit disabilities. This will solve the problem of continuity in the status of a person with disability and will make it possible to benefit from the system of allowances and benefits based on the existing certificate.

The solution will also benefit the Disability Assessment Boards, which will be able to plan the organisation of the work of the assessment panels in the expected period of an influx of more applications for assessments.

Important information for employees and employers!

The proposed regulation may have a positive impact on the activities of micro, small, medium-sized and large enterprises, as it will ensure the continuity of the status of a person with disability as an employee.

This, in turn, may have an impact on the continuity of the support received, which is directed at employers who employ persons with disabilities or the persons with disabilities themselves who are engaged in business activities.

Possibility to submit the application early

The bill also extends the time limit for the early submission of an application for a disability certificate due to the expiry of its validity from the previous 30 days to two months, and to three months for persons under the age of 16 who will be applying for a disability certificate.

This introduces a longer timeframe for the application submitted by a  person with disability to be properly verified by the assessment boards, which will allow for a smooth processing of applications and the elimination of bottlenecks in the certificate-issuance proceedings – which is particularly important in view of the expected accumulation of applications in September 2024.

According to the bill, the act enters into force on the day following the date of promulgation.