Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.
Factsheet for measure SK-2022-23/2812 – measures in Slovakia
Country | Slovakia , applies nationwide |
Time period | Temporary, 01 June 2022 – 31 December 2022 |
Context | COVID-19, War in Ukraine, Cost of Living Crisis |
Type | Legislations or other statutory regulations |
Category |
Promoting the economic, labour market and social recovery into a green future
– Increasing income in general |
Author | Rastislav Bednarik, IVPR |
Measure added | 08 September 2022 (updated 11 October 2022) |
To mitigate the consequences of high inflation and to cover increased expenses for housing, energy, food, etc., in May 2022 the government paid special benefits for several groups of residents, including informal caregivers (relatives). It was based on Government Regulation (dated 11 May 2022) No. 159/2022 Coll. See also the case Support for Substitute Child Care . The government also supported caregivers in the form of another Government Regulation 213/2022 Coll., which increases the monthly cash allowance for caregiving for various categories of caregivers from 1 July 2022.
In June 2022, a special benefit of €100 was paid to each informal carer. As of 1 July 2022, the monthly allowances for various groups of informal caregivers have increased. The Attendance Service Benefit is available: previously €508.44, now €525.65 per month if only one person receives home care and previously €676.22, now €699.15 per month if two or more persons receive care. The total increase of these benefits for these persons is €3.524 million in 2022 and €8.644 million in 2023.
The (means-tested) benefit is paid directly to the carer. If the carer is a pensioner, the benefit is not means-tested and is provided as a flat-rate sum amounting to: €262.85 (an increase of €8.53) per month if only one person receives home care and €349.60 (increase by €11.49) per month if two or more persons receive home care. The total increase of these benefits for these persons is €1.031 million in 2022 and €2.529 million in 2023
An ad hoc benefit of €100 was paid to 63,600 informal carers, for a total of €6.4 million. The number of care allowance recipients in 2022 is an average of 40,501 recipients of working age per month and 23,786 recipients of pension benefits. The government estimates the cost of increasing the care allowance in 2022 to €4.556 million, in 2023 to €11.173 million, in 2024 to €11.429 million and in 2025 to €11.683 million.
Workers | Businesses | Citizens |
---|---|---|
Does not apply to workers | Does not apply to businesses |
Other groups of citizens
|
Actors | Funding |
---|---|
National government
|
National funds
|
Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:
Trade unions | Employers' organisations | |
---|---|---|
Role | No involvement | No involvement |
Form | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
The social partners were not involved in the designing and implementation of the measure to provide an ad-hoc benefit of €100 for informal caregivers. But it was discussed in the media in general about the need for help for various groups of the population due to the increase in inflation.
Social partners were involved in the designing and implementing the measure for increasing aid for informal caregivers in the form of negotiations at the Economic and Social Council (a tripartite body) on 23 May 2022. The social partners took note of the government's proposal and agreed without comments.
Only the Joint Trade Unions of Slovakia (SOS) suggests that for the future a discussion regarding the cumulation receipt of the pension benefit and cash allowance for care should be opened in a short time, while their cumulation receipt without mutual offset would be allowed.
Citation
Eurofound (2022), Income support for informal caregivers, measure SK-2022-23/2812 (measures in Slovakia), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/SK-2022-23_2812.html
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