Marzena Okła-Drewnowicz, Minister of Senior Policy, presented the assumptions of the so-called senior voucher. The financial support program in the amount of PLN 2,150 will be addressed to seniors aged 75+ and their working families. On what terms will it be granted?
- An application for a voucher will be submitted by the family in consultation with the senior. According to estimates, over 535,000 people will be able to benefit from the senior voucher. elderly people.
- The senior voucher will be awarded every month. If we do not use the entire amount of PLN 2,150 in a given month, it will be forfeited. Monthly values of the senior voucher do not add up.
- The senior voucher will not be exchangeable for cash or other legal tender or other means of exchange. This means that we will not be able to withdraw these funds, e.g. PLN 800+ will be able to be allocated, like e.g. a tourist voucher, for a specific catalog of services.
- The planned entry into force of the senior voucher is the second half of 2025.
Assumptions of the so-called senior voucher are included in the draft Act on the system of services supporting families in caring for seniors.
What is a senior voucher?
A senior voucher is a benefit that allows you to finance a care support service in the senior’s place of residence. These services will include assistance in everyday activities, contact with the environment, and assistance in preparing and eating meals.
We are building a support system for seniors in their place of residence. I want sending older people to 24-hour facilities to be an absolute last resort, emphasized the Minister of Senior Policy.
The program will be addressed to seniors aged 75+ and their working families.
The maximum value of the senior voucher will be PLN 2,150 (which corresponds to half of the minimum wage in the second half of 2024).
Services provided under the senior voucher will be granted for basic everyday activities in 4 areas:
- basic satisfaction of everyday life needs, or
- assistance in gaining access to health services, or
- basic hygiene and nursing care, or
- ensuring contacts with the environment.
The condition for receiving support will be the professional activity of the person obliged to pay maintenance (usually a senior’s child).
The senior voucher is an activation solution. On the one hand, it will allow families of seniors to remain on the labor market, and on the other hand, it will create jobs for caregivers. It will help many of them out of the gray zone, said the Minister.
Rules for using the senior voucher
An application for a voucher will be submitted by the family in consultation with the senior. According to estimates, over 535,000 people will be able to benefit from the senior voucher. elderly people.
Municipal governments will be responsible for organizing services for seniors – they will be able to implement them on their own or commission them, for example, from a non-governmental organization, a social economy entity or a local company.
The situation is particularly difficult in rural areas. There, the job of a caregiver could be taken up by, for example, properly trained women from rural housewives’ associations. I have already talked to representatives of this community, they express keen interest in this form of activation, explained M. Okła-Drewnowicz.
The first stage of the program implementation will be the preparation and training of caregivers.
One of the requirements will be to complete a 30-hour training course preparing to work with seniors with unmet needs in everyday life.
How often will the senior voucher be awarded?
The senior voucher will be awarded every month. If we do not use the entire amount of PLN 2,150 in a given month, it will be forfeited. Monthly values of the senior voucher do not add up.
The senior voucher will not be exchangeable for cash or other legal tender or other means of exchange. This means that we will not be able to withdraw these funds, e.g. PLN 800+ will be able to be allocated, like e.g. a tourist voucher, for a specific catalog of services.
Income criteria when applying for a senior voucher
The program will have income criteria. In the case of a senior, the monthly income cannot exceed PLN 5,000 gross.
In the case of a family member, the criterion will depend on whether he or she runs a single-person or multi-person household. This will be the limit of two and three times the minimum wage, respectively.
The legislator assumes that the income entitling to apply for a senior voucher cannot be lower than the minimum wage and cannot exceed:
- twice the minimum wage for a single-person household;
- three times the minimum wage for work for a multi-person household (regardless of the number of people in the family).
When will the senior voucher be granted?
The planned entry into force of the senior voucher is the second half of 2025.
In this project, which is prepared, I assume that the first months will be a matter of training. We want the project itself, in the form of a voucher service, to be operational – I think – in the second half of next year, said Minister Marzena Okła-Drewnowicz.
First of all, extensive public consultations on this project are planned. The adoption of the project by the Council of Ministers is scheduled for the third quarter of 2024.
– .
