Support for people with disabilities and their caretakers is one of the priorities of the Government of Law and Justice. Therefore, the government undertakes a number of activities aimed at improving the situation of people with disabilities, including not only health, but also social and professional rehabilitation.

The Government of Law and Justice introduced changes in the support system for disabled people and their caretakers. Increased co-financing for the costs of a disabled person's stay in occupational therapy workshops, easier access to environmental assistance houses, a higher income criterion in the "Family 500+" programme, enabling caretakers to receive unemployment benefits or pre-retirement benefits or assistance from the "For Life" programme - these are just some of the actions taken by the PiS government for people with disabilities.

Increased budget spending on disability assistance

The expenditure for benefits from the state budget increased to PLN 17.4 billion in 2017. Assistance is provided in various forms: benefits, allowances, grants, day-care and 24/7 care facilities and classes addressed to this group.

Money for care

People with disabilities often require care and help from family members. As a result, the latter are forced to give up their professional work. A special care benefit was created for those who need support the most. They can be obtained by parents or caretakers of persons with disabilities in a situation when they give up their work in order to provide care.

Parents of children with disabilities can receive a nursing care benefit. It is provided if the disability of a person requiring care is established not later than at the age of 18 or while studying at school or college, but no later than the age of 25.

Higher nursing care benefit

What is important, the income of the family is not taken into account when granting nursing care benefits. From the beginning of this year nursing care benefits amount to PLN 1477 net. It is PLN 71 more than last year. With premiums, the nursing benefit amounts to PLN 2016.40. The payment of contributions by the State guarantees, e.g. that the caretaker will receive a full pension in the future.

Benefits for both parents

As of the beginning of 2017, the amendment to the Act on family benefits and the act on establishing and paying benefits for caretakers, which implements the judgment of the Constitutional Tribunal of 18 November 2014, also came into force. As a result, families where more than one disabled person is brought up, more than one guardian may receive a special care benefit for taking care of a disabled person. In practice, this means that if in one family there are, for example, two disabled children, each parent can receive a nursing care benefit relating to the need to terminate professional activity to take care of a disabled child.

You can apply for a nursing care benefit from the same municipal institution that pays family benefits. These are social assistance centres (OPS), family support centres or departments in gmina offices.

Benefits and allowances

Financial support for people with disabilities is not limited to benefits for their caretakers. People with disabilities can receive nursing care allowance, which helps to cover part of the expenses resulting from the need to provide care and assistance to another person in connection with the inability to live independently. Currently, the nursing care allowance amounts to PLN 153 a month.

Nursing care allowance is granted to: a disabled child, a person with a disability over 16 years of age, if he has a severe disability certificate, a disabled person over 16 years of age with a moderate disability certificate, if the disability arose before the age of 21, as well as to persons aged 75+.

Importantly, parents of disabled children entitled to family allowance may also receive an education and rehabilitation allowance. It amounts to PLN 90 per child (up to the age of 5) or PLN 110 (from 5 up to the age of 24).

Granting and payment of family benefits was commissioned by the government to gmina administrations. Therefore, the application for this form of support should be submitted to the gmina office, social welfare centre or other gmina-level organisational unit (e.g. benefits centre).

Increased criterion in the "Family 500+" programme

Thanks to the actions of the PiS government, the "Family 500 plus" programme was introduced, under which the income criterion for this benefit in families raising a disabled child was increased to PLN 1200 - 50% higher than the basic criterion.

Thanks to the higher criterion, over 90% of disabled children receive caretaker's benefits.

Not only money - material support from PFRON

People with disabilities can benefit from both financial and material support. In practice, this means that you can take advantage of a rehabilitation holiday and purchase rehabilitation equipment, as well as apply for the elimination of architectural barriers. For each of these purposes, co-financing can be obtained in the poviat self-government units - in poviat family assistance centres, and in poviat cities - in municipal social assistance centres or in municipal family assistance centres.

Co-financing of a rehabilitation holiday may amount to as much as PLN 1806. Last year, a total of 61.5 thousand persons benefited from this form of support. 178.6 persons benefited from financing of rehabilitation equipment and medical devices. Here, each of these persons could apply for up to PLN 22,583. You can get up to PLN 67.75 thousand for the elimination of architectural barriers. This form of support was granted to 16.8 thousand people in 2017 alone. In total, 256.9 thousand disabled persons benefited from the refund last year.

Social pension upon reaching maturity

When a disabled child turns 18, they are entitled to a social pension paid by ZUS. It is a special benefit for people who have never paid contributions and are completely unable to work.

Thanks to the current government, the social benefits have increased by as much as 39.2% since 2015. With a view to improving the situation of people with disabilities, the government increased the social pension from 741.35 to 840 PLN as of 1 March 2017. This is a record-breaking 13% increase in social benefits. Along with this year's pensions' indexation, social benefits increased to PLN 865.03. Such a high increase in benefits has not been recorded for 5 years.

The draft act amending the act on social benefits  adopted by the government on 26 April of this year, assumes (as of 1 June 2018) the increase of social benefits to meet the level of the lowest amount of the benefits for total incapacity for work. As a result, social benefits will amount to PLN 1,029.80 gross (PLN 878.12 net). This means an increase of more than 19%. The increase in social benefits constitutes the implementation of one of the provisions of the agreement on the support for disabled people, which the government signed on 24 April of this year with the representatives of a part of the disabled persons community.

A wide range of institutions and facilities

The wide support for people with disabilities is supplemented by a range of institutions operating on their behalf. These are social welfare homes, support centres, day-care homes, family support homes, and occupational therapy workshops.

According to the latest data from 816 social support homes, 78.9 thousand people with disabilities took advantage of such assistance. In turn, 34 thousand people benefited from the offer of 822 support centres helping families in caring for disabled people. 26 family care homes providing 24/7 care in small groups were available for 136 users. 308 day-care homes offering help in everyday life provided support for 22 thousand people with disabilities. About 5,000 more disabled people used 715 occupational therapy workshops (WTZ).

It is worth noting that from 1 January 2016, the co-financing of the participant's annual participation in WTZ increased by as much as PLN 1,200. Currently it is PLN 15,996. Earlier - since 2009, it was PLN 14,796. Increasing the amount of co-financing for the annual stay of one participant in the occupational therapy workshop resulted in the improvement of the functioning of such workshops and provided the opportunity for further development.