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Description
Current care allowance system for people with disabilities in the Czech Republic is insufficient. Especially people with higher support needs cannot access sufficient care since the allowance is far too low.
Care allowance system is defined in the Social Services Act (No. 108/2006 Coll.) that specifies the amount of benefits each person is entitled based on their level of dependency. People with the highest level of dependency (4th degree) are entitled to 19 200 CZK per month (approx. 790 EUR). Given the current cost of personal assistance, this amount covers fewer than 5 hours of care per day.
We want to change this system and introduce the fifth, individualized level of care allowance that would provide disabled people with sufficient means to cover their real care needs. We will make an advocacy effort, initiate public debate, collect data and evidence to support policy and lobby politicians with the aim to amend the Social Services Act and introduce the fifth level.
The aim of the project is therefore to introduce the fifth, individualized level of care allowance for people with the most severe disabilities. Project´s target group is people with disabilities living in the Czech Republic, namely those with the highest support needs. These people will gain the opportunity to use more personal assistance they need to lead a fulfilling life. The secondary target group is the relatives and other informal carers of people with disabilities, whose socio-economic situation will improve significantly.
Summary of project results
We came up with a proposal to introduce a fifth individualized level of care allowance and discussed with the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs its possible inclusion
into the current care allowance system.
This will require the creation of a completely new legislation, and we have therefore worked with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
on an interim solution at the same time.
We managed to convince the representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs that it is necessary to urgently address the situation
of the unavailability of personal assistance for people with the most severe disabilities.
The result is a special subsidy title, thanks to which people with the most severe disabilities can benefit from hours of personal assistance
to a certain extent for a symbolic 1 Czech crown.
In addition, we have achieved an increase in the care allowance for the second, third and fourth level of dependency for people who live at home.
In the fourth level, the care allowance will rise from CZK 19 200 to CZK 27 000 from 1 July 2024.
We have also achieved that our NGO (Asistence) has become an important expert partner of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs
and we are frequently invited to various expert consultations and working groups,
not only on the topic of Care Allowance, but also other topics related to the lives of people with disabilities.