Poland plans to overhaul the disability support benefit system amid criticism of long waiting times and rigid scoring criteria.
Decision Delays Cause Concerns
Supportive benefits were meant to be a breakthrough for people with disabilities. However, thousands of applicants have been waiting months for decisions. The Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy admits that the system requires changes, with planned corrections to the scoring system and improvements to procedures.
The biggest problem proved to be the waiting time for decisions on the level of support needed. These documents are issued by Provincial Teams for Disability Assessment. According to regulations, teams have three months to issue decisions, but in practice, in many cases, the process lasted six months or longer.
Without this document, a claim for benefits cannot be filed with the Social Insurance Institution, which for many families meant waiting months for money.
Changes to Support Benefit Scoring
One of the most criticized elements of the system is the method of awarding points that determine the level of support needed. Currently, 32 daily activities are assessed, with the minimum threshold for receiving benefits being 70 points.
The higher the score on a scale of 70 to 100 points, the higher the benefit amount – it is linked to the level of social disability pension.
Social organizations have long pointed out that the current system is too rigid and does not always reflect the actual degree of independence.
When Will New Regulations Be Implemented?
A review of the operation of the benefit was prepared by the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy. The document indicates the main problems and directions of change.
Experts, however, note that the recommendations are still general in nature. For changes to take effect, a legislative amendment will be needed.
For people applying for benefits, however, the key point is that the government has officially acknowledged that the current system is inefficient. This is the first step toward reform, which aims to shorten the path from application to first benefit payment.