25.05.2022

THE RULES FOR SOCIAL BENEFITS ARE CHANGING

Social benefits will now be determined on the basis of the size of the poverty line for the respective year, determined by a decree of the Council of Ministers. This is provided by amendments to the Social Assistance Act, introduced by the Council of Ministers in the National Assembly.

Until now, the law provided for the Council of Ministers to determine the monthly amount of the guaranteed minimum income, which serves as a basis for determining social benefits.

The law will enter into force on January 1, 2023.

If the unemployed people who meet the conditions for monthly benefits refuse to participate in employment programs, they will be deprived of monthly benefits for a period of six months, instead of one year, as before, is another change in the law.

The scope of cases in which deductions from cash social benefits can be made is also expanding. Such will be able to be done on unscrupulously received funds from social benefits, established by an effective act.

In addition, those who have received social benefits in bad faith are deprived of this money until the amounts due are reimbursed, but for a period not exceeding one year and not two years as before.

The changes also state that the Minister of Labor and Social Policy and persons authorized by him will have the right to access data from information systems, registers and databases in the field of social assistance maintained by the Social Assistance Agency.

The Social Assistance Directorates and the Social Assistance Agency will have the right to free access to our data from the Registry Agency, the Employment Agency, the Ministry of Education and Science, the National Social Security Institute and the National Revenue Agency, the bill says.