Some Portuguese pensioners can significantly reduce their health expenses thanks to little-known support, but automatically granted by the State. At issue are the Additional Health Benefits, created for those who receive the Solidarity Supplement for the Elderly and which allow up to 75 percent of certain essential expenses to be recovered. According to Notícias ao Minuto, this support covers expenses with glasses, lenses, removable dental prosthetics and even reimbursed medicines.
Social Security explains that these benefits exist to ensure that people with low incomes have access to necessary care, even when the costs of equipment or treatments become difficult to bear. Support is automatic for those who receive the CSI, but requires the beneficiary to submit income and receipts within the indicated deadline, depending on the type of expense.
What is included in this state support
According to Notícias ao Minuto, Additional Health Benefits work on three fronts. In reimbursed medicines, the beneficiary has free access, simply presenting the medical prescription at the pharmacy. In the case of glasses and lenses, the State returns 75 percent of the amount paid, up to a limit of 100 euros, a benefit that can be used every two years. For removable dental prosthetics, support also covers 75 percent of the value, with a limit of 250 euros, renewable every three years.
These amounts represent significant relief for many elderly people, especially those who face regular expenses for treatments, vision corrections or replacement of prostheses.
When do you start receiving support
According to Social Security, support depends only on compliance with procedures. In the case of medicines, the benefit is immediate: as soon as you present the prescription, the discount is applied. For glasses, lenses and dental prosthetics, the value is assigned in the month following delivery of the prescription and receipt at the health center.
The publication emphasizes that there is an important deadline: documents must be delivered within six months after the date of receipt. If you exceed this period, the right to a refund is lost.
The support continues as long as the beneficiary is receiving the Solidarity Supplement for the Elderly. When the CSI ends, the right to Additional Health Benefits automatically ends.
Automatic right, but mandatory documentation
According to , it is not necessary to make any initial request to access support. It is enough for the elderly person to be a CSI beneficiary and submit, when applicable, the documents proving the expense. Social Security states that this simplicity reduces barriers and facilitates access to essential care.
Some pensioners may lose access to ADSE
The publication also recalls a recent situation reported by Jornal de Notícias: some CSI beneficiaries, registered as ancestors of public servants in ADSE, are losing their right to the subsystem. The problem arises because the increase in the CSI causes them to exceed the limit defined by the 1983 decree-law, which prevents staying in the ADSE when the household’s income exceeds 60 percent of the national minimum wage.
This situation has generated concern among families who depended on ADSE for consultations and treatments. Social Security has not yet clarified whether there will be future adjustments or exceptions.
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