04.01.2023

BENEFITS FOR 670,000 PEOPLE WITH PERMANENT DISABILITIES ARE BEING INCREASED

Monthly financial support for 670,000 people with permanent disabilities will increase by 22% from January 1, 2023. The increase is the result of the increase in the poverty line from BGN 413 to BGN 504 from the same date.

According to the Law on People with Disabilities, the specific amount of assistance is a percentage of its value and is determined depending on the degree of disability, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy recalls.

Thus, people with over 90% disability, with certain foreign assistance, who receive a social disability pension, from next year will receive BGN 287.28 per month - BGN 52 more than at the moment.

For people with over 90% degree of disability, with certain foreign aid, who receive a disability pension due to a general illness or due to an occupational accident or occupational disease - the monthly financial support will increase by nearly BGN 30 and will reach BGN 151.20.

People with over 90% disability will receive BGN 126 each.

People with a 71 to 90% degree of disability will receive BGN 75.60 per month, and those with a degree of disability between 50 and 70.99% will receive BGN 35.28.

Monthly financial support is paid by the Social Assistance Agency under the Law on People with Disabilities.

The new higher amount of benefits for the month of January 2023 will be paid in February. In January, however, people will receive monthly financial support for December 2022, which will be in its current amount.

Before Christmas, the Parliament passed the second reading of changes to the Social Assistance Act. The amendments provide that social benefits will be determined based on the amount of the poverty line for the relevant year, determined by a decree of the Council of Ministers. So far, social benefits have been determined on the basis of a guaranteed minimum income.