Subsidy for third-party assistance: who is entitled

Ensuring permanent monitoring of a child or young person with a disability can be quite demanding for families, both from an emotional and economic point of view.

THE subsidy for third-party assistance, awarded by Social Security, is intended precisely to compensate for the increase in family expenses resulting from the dependency situation. We then explain how it works.

What is the Third-Party Care Allowance?

The Third Person Care Allowance is a cash benefit paid monthly to support families with descendants disabled people that are in dependency situation and therefore need permanent monitoring of a third person.

The descendants in question must be holders of family allowance for children and
young people with disability allowance.

What is considered a dependency situation?

According to the Social Securitya person is in a situation of dependency who, due exclusively to his or her disability, unable to independently carry out basic day-to-day needssuch as eating, moving around or performing personal hygiene and who, therefore, need third-party support duringat least, six hours a daydoes not carry out a professional activity covered by the mandatory social protection regime, cannot work or make contributions to Social Security, and is dependent on the beneficiary.

However, the situation of dependency must be certified by the Disability Verification Service (SVI) or by the SS District Center in the descendant’s area of ​​residence.

Assistance can be provided by anyone and by more than one person, including the one provided in the context of home support.

What are the attribution conditions?

The rules for awarding the subsidy for assistance of a third person are divided into two regimes: contributory and non-contributory.

For each scheme, the requirements for granting this support are different. If you submit an application, you will have to do so within your regime and attach the respective documents (which vary from regime to regime), so it is important, before submitting the application, to know which of the two you are part of.

It should also be noted that the subsidy for assistance from a third person is not assigned if the disabled person is permanently receiving care in a health or social support establishment, whether official or private, non-profit, financed by the State or by other legal persons governed by public law or private law and of public utility .

Beneficiary who is responsible for the child or adult with a disability

In this case, the person who is responsible for the child or young person with a disability (the beneficiary) pays for Social Security or any other social protection scheme.

All you need to do is have a record of wages (contributions paid) in the first 12 months of the last 14 months from the date of submission of the application (guarantee period).

This rule does not apply, however, to pensioners – whether they receive an old-age pension or a permanent disability pension equal to or greater than 50%.

disabled person

In order to receive the subsidy for assisting a third person, under the contributory regime, the person with a disability must be:

• to receive family allowance with disability allowance;
• is on dependency situation.

Another mandatory requirement is to live with the beneficiary in common room and board, that is, to be dependent on him/her.

The following are considered to be the responsibility of the beneficiary:

• Singles;
• Married, provided they have an income of less than €448.48 euros (the equivalent of twice the social pension in 2023);
• Separated, divorced or widowed, with an income of less than 224.24 euros (the value of the social pension in 2023).

In this case, those who have a person with a disability in their charge do not make contributions to Social Security or any other social protection scheme and the family is in a situation of need.

To be entitled to the subsidy, one of the following scenarios must occur:

• The gross monthly income of the dependent person is equal to or less than €192.17 (corresponds to 40% of the IAS which, in 2023, is €480.43), provided that the income of the respective household does not exceed to 720.65 euros (1.5 x IAS); OR

• The household income, per person, is equal to or less than 144.13 euros (30% of the IAS) and the family is in a situation of risk or social dysfunction (marked by the competent social services).

How much is the allowance for third-party assistance?

The amount of the subsidy for assistance of a third person is 110.41 euros.

The subsidy is paid to the beneficiary and exceptionally can be paid to the following persons/entities:

• Person designated by court decision;
• Legal representatives, in case of death of the beneficiary;
• Person with whom the descendant lives in table and room communion;
• Descendant if you are of legal age;
• Entity that has custody of the descendant;
• Dependent if he was the subsidy applicant.

Can it be combined with other benefits?

Subsidy for assistance to a third person can accumulate with:

But cannot accumulate with:

What is the duration and when can it end or be suspended?

As long as the situation of permanent dependency of the person with a disability lasts, and if the remaining attribution conditions are maintained, Social Security pays the subsidy for assistance of a third person on a monthly basis.

The right to subsidy for assistance from a third person is suspended if the descendant starts an activity covered by a mandatory social protection regime and is resumed when the attribution conditions are verified again.

From when do you receive?

The start of payment will depend on the date of submission of the application in relation to the date on which you started receiving assistance or having met the conditions to be entitled to it.

If you do so within a maximum period of 6 months from that date, you will be entitled to the subsidy from the date you started receiving assistance. You will receive it like this, retroactively.

However, if you submit the request after this period, that is more than 6 months after assistance has already been provided, the payment will start in the following month.

If you request the subsidy before providing assistance, the payment will only start in the month in which the third person is assisted.

How do I apply for a third-party assistance subsidy?

The application for the subsidy for assistance of a third person must be made with the Social Security services, online or at the counter. To formalize the request, you must complete and submit the form Mod.RP5036-DGSSaccompanied by the documents indicated therein, namely Medical Information, Mod. SVI 7-DGSS duly substantiated and instructed regarding the dependency situation of the interested party.

For more information, you can consult the site of Social Security.

Who can apply?

In the case of the contributory regime, the subsidy for assisting a third person may be requested by the spouse, as well as by the person or entity that has the descendant in their custody and care, provided that this is duly proven. The descendant himself can also apply, provided he is over 16 years old.

In the case of the non-contributory regime, it is up to the person who proves that they have a dependent person to apply for the subsidy. The disabled person himself can also file the application if he is over 14 years old.

Article originally published in January 2020. Updated in January 2023.