06.06.2023
THE APPLICATION FOR LARGER SOCIAL BENEFITS HAS BEGUN
From June 1, people can now submit social assistance applications at any Social Assistance Directorate in the country to apply for the higher social benefits. Documents can also be submitted electronically.
From June 1, 2023, the amount of social benefits is determined depending on the poverty line, which is currently BGN 504, and will not be tied to the guaranteed minimum income, which is BGN 75 and has not been changed since 2018. The basis for access to benefits, it will not be BGN 504, which is the poverty line for 2023, but 30% of it, i.e. BGN 151.20. Individuals and families whose income for the previous month is lower than a certain differentiated minimum income, calculated on this basis, are entitled to monthly assistance.
Access thresholds increase from BGN 151.20 to BGN 249.48 per person, and in some categories the increase is more than double. The amount of assistance is the difference between these thresholds and the actual income of the family. For example, the maximum amount of monthly social assistance for a person living alone over the age of 75 will increase from BGN 136.50 to BGN 249.48. For a parent raising a child up to the age of 3 alone, its value will increase from BGN 99.00 to BGN 181.44.
Disaster and accident aid is also being increased to cover incidental needs. Now it is five times the guaranteed minimum income - BGN 375, and it will already be up to three times the poverty threshold or BGN 1,512 for this year.
The new provisions stipulate that the period for mandatory continuous registration at the Labor Bureau Directorate before submitting an application-declaration for social benefits will be reduced from 6 to 3 months. This enables faster access to social assistance and reduces the risk of falling out of the system. The time for community service by the unemployed who receive social benefits is reduced from the previous 14 days at 4 hours per day to 40 hours per month. In this way, it is possible to include them in various measures to obtain and increase their qualifications and experience, which is a factor for their faster inclusion in the labor market.
With the changes in the Regulations for the implementation of the Law on Social Assistance, new opportunities are provided for the support of risk groups, which until now have not received assistance. It is planned to cover the initial needs of adults leaving a residential type of social service, to grant targeted assistance in the amount of the poverty line for the relevant year. The aid will be given for three months, granted only once and on the condition that the person has registered with the Labor Office Directorate.
The changes give the right, when an unemployed person or an unemployed family member receiving monthly social benefits starts work, that the benefits continue to be paid for a period of 3 months within 1 year, starting from the moment of concluding the employment contract. The restriction on the granting of monthly allowances to students in higher education institutions, as well as to students in private schools, is no longer applicable. It is planned not to require registration in the Labor Office Directorate for the granting of monthly allowances to students in higher schools in specialties for which only a regular form of education is provided.
