The GLAS/HSU parliamentary group had introduced a bill on amendments to the Social Welfare Act, proposing that the means test for eligibility for disability benefits be abolished, which would do away with discrimination against disabled persons based on the type of income they receive, said leader of the GLAS party Anka Mrak-Taritas on Thursday.

The bill also proposes that parent-carers do not lose their status or eligibility for a monthly allowance of 2,500 kuna (€338.5) if their disabled child, or an adult with disabilities, spends more than four hours a day in pre-school, school, health institution or any other social welfare institution, instead that this time be extended to seven hours a day. That would provide parents with an opportunity to find at least part-time employment.

Mrak-Taritas said at a press conference that there “aren’t poor and rich disabled persons,” and the state cannot make a distinction between people in that manner. Disability allowance is not something that intended to meet everyday personal needs but an allowance that helps disabled people to be able to be involved in everyday life equally to people without disabilities, she added.

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