The social support system in Portugal is preparing for a relevant change. The government will move forward with the Single Social Benefit, a new measure that aims to bring together various supports in a single model and simplify beneficiaries’ access to social protection.
According to , the provision should include 13 supports from the solidarity subsystem, including the Social Insertion Income. The Solidarity Supplement for the Elderly will be excluded from this integration. The proposal must be approved by the Council of Ministers and then go to parliamentary discussion.
Social support combined in a single installment
The Single Social Benefit, known by the acronym PSU, is a reform promised four years ago to the European Commission. The objective is to reduce the dispersion of social benefits, rules and procedures. Currently, different types of support have their own conditions, different forms and access criteria that are not always easy for beneficiaries to understand.
According to the Secretary of State for Social Security, Filipa Lima, the measure aims to make the system simpler and less bureaucratic. “It is a provision that aims to simplify access to social support, reducing bureaucracy due to the complexity of the support that currently exists and, therefore, also the contextual costs”, stated the government official, quoted by Notícias ao Minuto.
Social Insertion Income enters the new provision
Among the supports that should be integrated is the Social Insertion Income. This is one of the most relevant points of the reform, since the RSI is one of the best-known benefits of the solidarity subsystem and one that usually generates the most public debate.
In total, the Single Benefit must bring together 13 supports. Still, not all the details have been released, so it remains to be seen the complete list of installments covered and the exact way in which each one will be integrated into the new model.
Solidarity Supplement for the Elderly is left out
The Solidarity Supplement for the Elderly will not be integrated into the new installment. The confirmation was given by Filipa Lima at a regulatory hearing at the parliamentary committee on Work, Social Security and Inclusion. The CSI will therefore maintain its own framework, outside the Single Benefit.
This detail is important, because the Solidarity Supplement for the Elderly is support aimed at older people with low income and has specific access rules.
Government wants to harmonize rules
The reform also provides for the harmonization of conditions for access to social support. One of the central points will be the means test, that is, the set of criteria used to assess the income and economic situation of beneficiaries and households.
The Government intends for rules that are currently dispersed to follow a more coherent logic. The promise is to make the system more effective, clearer and more adjusted to the real needs of those who ask for support.
Beneficiaries of working age may receive compensation
One of the most sensitive innovations involves the creation of a participation component in social solidarity activities. According to the details already advanced, this participation will work as compensation for beneficiaries of working age. In other words, some beneficiaries may have to participate in activities of a social or community nature within the scope of the new benefit.
Not all practical terms of this obligation are yet known. It remains to be understood what type of activities will be at stake, who will be covered, what exceptions will exist and how inspection will be carried out.
Work incentives are also included in the model
The Single Social Benefit must also include a work incentive component. The Government’s idea is to prevent a beneficiary from automatically losing social support when they start working or when their income from work increases.
“We will include a work incentive component, ensuring that an increase in income from work does not lead to an automatic loss of disposable income”, explained Filipa Lima. This point seeks to respond to an old criticism of the support system: the possibility of some people losing benefits abruptly when their income slightly improves.
Transition should protect current beneficiaries
The Government guarantees that there will be transitional rules. The Secretary of State for Social Security assured that the transition to the new model should not cause abrupt losses of protection for those who already receive support.
This will be one of the most important aspects of the parliamentary discussion, because the integration of 13 benefits into a single model may raise doubts about values, eligibility criteria and continuity of payments.
Measure is part of the PRR
The creation of the Single Social Benefit is part of the set of reforms foreseen in the Recovery and Resilience Plan in the area of Social Security. The objective is to make the system simpler, more efficient and adjusted to the needs of beneficiaries. The Executive understands that the multiplicity of benefits generates bureaucracy, makes access difficult and increases administrative costs. With the PSU, the Government intends to concentrate support, harmonize rules and facilitate monitoring of beneficiaries.
What you still need to know
Despite the details already known, there are several questions to be answered. We still need to know the complete list of 13 integrated supports, the method for calculating the new benefit, the final access criteria, the transition rules and how the participation component in social solidarity activities will work.
It will also be necessary to understand whether the new benefit will change payment deadlines, registration procedures, beneficiary obligations and inspection mechanisms.
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