Thursday, January 4 2024 17:58

ArmInfo. From January 1, 2024,  persons with disabilities will be provided with the service of a  personal assistant. The decision was made on January 4 at a meeting  of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan, presenting the  draft decision, recalled that in 2023 the program was implemented in  pilot mode. The proposed project makes some changes for its effective  implementation, the purpose of the innovation is to help people with  disabilities lead an independent life and be involved in the  community. 

"The services of a personal assistant include both care for  beneficiaries and assistance in overcoming obstacles, including those  related to restrictions on movement," Mkrtchyan said.

As the minister explained, if in the earlier decision only persons  with severe functional limitations, motor, visual, mental or  intellectual problems, whose family was registered in the family  insecurity assessment system and had more than 10 points on the  insecurity scale, had the right to receive services, then the new  resolution expands the circle of beneficiaries of the program, and  services will also be provided to persons over 15 years of age who  have the above-mentioned restrictions of moderate severity and  regardless of whether they are registered in the system or not.

The beneficiary of the program can nominate his preferred candidacy  as a personal assistant, and if he does not have such a candidacy,  then he makes a choice from among the candidates available on the  online platform of personal assistants registered with the Unified  Social Service, the minister said, adding that currently there are 57  such candidates. According to the minister, the cost of 1 hour of  service is 1050 drams, including taxes. For people with severe  disabilities, the personal assistant service can be provided for 140  hours per month, for people with severe disabilities - 120 hours,  with moderate disabilities - 100 hours.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in turn, proposed canceling the  restriction on involving relatives who live with beneficiaries in the  provision of services. "Our beneficiary is not a family member, our  beneficiary is a person who needs to be taken care of, we give money,  we are not interested in who we give money to, we are interested in  what we give money for. We pay to provide care. If we are not sure  that even a family member, parent, wife, husband has this skill, we  will not give this money. But I say: let's not close this  opportunity," said the Prime Minister.

Narek Mkrtchyan noted that the necessary changes will be made to the  draft decision.