Higher benefits for disabled people and their carers

The Council of Ministers adopted a regulation on increasing benefits for families. The assistance allowance will increase for the first time in 12 years. The benefits for carers of people with disabilities, which have not been increased since their introduction, will also be higher.

From 1 November 2018, the amounts of the following family benefits, subject to statutory verification, will increase and amount to:

·         assistance allowance – PLN 184.42 (increase of PLN 31.42) – 1st stage. From 1 November 2019, it will be PLN 215.84 (increase of PLN 31.42) – 2nd stage. As a target, the amount of this allowance will increase over 40%.

·         special care allowance – PLN 620 (increase of 19.2 per cent, or PLN 100).

The government also decided to increase the amount of the carer’s allowance, and from 1 November 2018, it will amount to PLN 620 (an increase of PLN 100).

Other benefits for families and income criteria which entitle them to receive support remain unchanged. 

The assistance allowance will increase for the first time in 12 years.

“The amount of the assistance allowance was last raised in 2006. The increase will cover approx. PLN 912 thousand people with disabilities. This change has been postulated and expected by the disabled people’s community and their carers. The first stage of equalisation of the assistance allowance with the care allowance, paid by the Polish Social Insurance Institution, will take place this year and the second stage in 2019,” Minister Elżbieta Rafalska said. 

In the case of benefits for carers of disabled people (special care allowance and carer’s allowance), the increase will cover around 70 thousand people. 

“We’re making up for many years of negligence of our predecessors. We’re increasing the amount of benefits which have never been raised since their adoption,” the minister of family added. 

The amounts of these benefits have not been increased since the date of entry into force of the regulations introducing these benefits – from 1 January 2013 in the case of the special care allowance and from 15 May 2014 in the case of the carer’s allowance.