Фото: pixabay.com
Belarus is changing the system of care allowance payments for people with Group I disabilities and elderly citizens. The relevant resolution was signed by Prime Minister Aliaksandr Turchyn, the government’s press service reported.
The resolution provides for a seamless transition in social support for parents caring for a child with a disability when the child reaches the age of 18.
Parents and guardians who receive state pensions will retain the right to continue receiving the care allowance that was paid before their child with a disability reached adulthood. At the same time, the parent or guardian must not themselves have a Group I disability.
The resolution also regulates the procedure for granting a care allowance when a child with a disability reaches the age of 18 and is assigned a Group I disability.
The care allowance for a person with a Group I disability since childhood will be granted from the date the Group I disability is first established after the individual reaches the age of 18, rather than from the date the application is submitted. An application for the allowance must be filed within one month from the date the medical rehabilitation expert commission issues its decision.
The resolution also provides for additional care for incapacitated citizens in healthcare facilities.
If a person requiring permanent care is receiving inpatient treatment, the care allowance will continue to be paid. However, documentary proof that additional care is being provided in the healthcare facility will be required.
Care allowance payments may be suspended, with the consent of the person requiring permanent care, during a temporary interruption in care for personal reasons lasting up to 14 days.
The resolution establishes uniform rules for granting care allowances to individuals who are on parental leave until their child reaches the age of three.
The right to receive the allowance is extended to individuals on parental leave who are studying full-time or undergoing full-time clinical residency training.
The grounds for terminating care allowance payments have also been expanded. These include the absence of a continuing need for permanent care, as well as the expiration of a permanent residence permit in Belarus for foreign nationals and stateless persons.