The new Disability Act provides for higher financial assistance

An increase in the monthly financial assistance is planned in the new Disability Act. Work on the law bill is at its final stage. Despite the amount of money provided, the agreement on the texts is unstable even in the working group that drafts the law. The draft law is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly in the autumn.

People with a degree of disability lower than 71% are entitled to receive benefits to the amount of 34 BGN instead of the previous 11 BGN. And for those with the most severe disabilities the monthly allowance can reach 198 BGN. Depending on the degree of disability, funds are foreseen between 10 and 57% of the poverty line, which next year will be 348 BGN.

There is a consensus that the Social Assistance Agency will perform an individual assessment of the needs of people with disabilities.

Although work on the draft is almost done, many questions are still unanswered. Mothers of children with disabilities are not giving up their demand for personal assistance to be regulated in a separate law. According to the nationally represented organizations, there are no specific mechanisms in the law to control the set commitments for accessible environment, education and employment.

After mutual accusations of opaque funding, protests and counter protests, on 30^th of July the two camps have expressed their readiness to work together for reform.

All representatives of people with disabilities in the working group have a week to send their opinions. However, the Social Minister said it would be difficult to provide a larger financial resource.