Following the decisions of the Council of Ministers on Friday 27 May 2022 on measures to counter inflationary trends, the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance informs the following:
Increase in all pensions
From July 2022, all Social Insurance Fund pensions, including the Social Pension, will be increased by the percentage of the increase in the Consumer Price Index for the first half of 2022 compared to the second half of 2021.
Based on preliminary actuarial estimates, this increase will be in the order of about 4.3% and corresponds to an increase in annual pension expenditure of €69 million.
It should be noted that including the 1.22% increase granted to all pensions from 1 January 2022, the total increase in pensions for 2022 amounts to 5.6%, achieving a substantial compensation of all pensioners' incomes in terms of price increases, since the adjustment is against the total change in the Consumer Price Index.
80% tuition subsidy for children up to four years old
The Plan provides for the support of families by subsidizing childcare services for dependent children up to four years old through the payment of a significant part of the monthly cost of the children's attendance at nurseries and kindergartens.
The subsidy is up to 80% of the monthly cost of each child's attendance, with a maximum amount of between €100 and €350 per month, depending on the composition of the family, the level of family income and the age of the children.
A prerequisite for participation in the Plan is that the child attends or will attend a nursery or kindergarten, the parents meet the income criteria to be determined by the notice of the Plan and have been approved for a Child Benefit for the year 2022.
Up to 16,000 children who are four years of age or younger as of August 31, 2022 may be eligible for the Plan for the 2022-2023 school year.
Note that to be eligible to participate in the Plan, preschools and kindergartens, including private and community-based programs, must have not made and will not make any tuition increases that exceed 5% or a monthly amount to be determined by the Plan notice, over the previous year.
More detailed information on the application procedures and other implementation details of the Plan will be provided by the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance and the State Ministry of Social Welfare, which will jointly implement the Plan.
One-off grant for persons with disabilities
All persons with disabilities who receive benefits from the Department for Social Integration of Persons with Disabilities of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance will receive a lump sum of €100 provided that they do not fall within the categories of persons who will receive the corresponding one-off support from the State Ministry of Social Welfare.
The beneficiaries include blind persons, quadriplegics, paraplegics, beneficiaries of the severe mobility disability allowance and beneficiaries of the mobility allowance, provided that these persons do not receive Minimum Guaranteed Income and will not receive any of the corresponding one-off grants from the Ministry of Social Welfare.
The one-off grant will be paid around the end of June 2022 to all beneficiaries and no application need be made.
(BG/EXP)
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