The arrangement for the payment of the emergency allowance of 250 euros

The terms and procedure for the payment of the emergency financial assistance of 250 euros to low-income pensioners, OPEC beneficiaries and the uninsured elderly, before the end of the year, following the announcements of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis last week, are set by amendment of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs submitted to the draft law of the Ministry of Health “Establishment and organization of NPID, with the title” National Central Authority for Health Procurement “, strategy of central procurement of health products and services”.

In particular, with regard to exceptional financial assistance to low-income pensioners, it is provided that:

1. Potential beneficiaries of the aid are those who in November 2021 received:

– final or temporary pension or advance payment of main pension due to old age, disability or death,

– pre-retirement benefit,

– disability pension benefits (those paid by e-EFKA),

– are also occupied those pensioners who receive a pension from the General Accounting Office of the State, in accordance with the provisions of par. 3 of article 4 of law 4387/2016 (war invalids, artists, etc.).

2. In order to identify the final beneficiaries, it will be considered that the following conditions are cumulatively met:

– The annual individual taxable income for the tax year 2021 does not exceed 7,200 euros.

– Their annual family taxable income (the sum of the taxable income of the debtor and his / her spouse / party to the cohabitation agreement) does not exceed 14,400 euros.

– The total value of the real estate of the household, which results from the act of administrative determination ENFIA year 2021 (tax year 2020), does not exceed the amount of 200,000 euros.

– They are tax residents of Greece and have submitted an income tax return for the tax year 2020.3. The amount of aid per beneficiary is 250 euros, increased by 50 euros for each dependent member of the taxpayer, according to the income tax return for the tax year 2020. If in a household are both pensioners and beneficiaries of the aid, then the surcharge for dependent members are divided equally.

4. If a pensioner becomes a beneficiary of EFKA and at the same time receives a disability benefit of OPEC and therefore becomes a beneficiary of the increase of 250 euros for this reason, he will receive only the support of low-income pensioners.

5. The aid will be paid to the beneficiaries until 31.12.2021. It will be tax-free, unsecured and will not be offset against any debts of the retiree. The method of payment (whether it will be made in one payment together with the January pension or by vaccination payment), will be announced in the coming days.

6. In order to identify the final beneficiaries of the emergency financial assistance, e-EFKA and GLC will send to the Independent Public Revenue Authority (AADE) a file with the AFM and AMKA of all potential beneficiaries, in order to make cross-references with the data. observed by AADE and to ensure that cumulatively all the conditions that have been set are met. AADE will produce the file with the final beneficiaries, which will be sent to e-EFKA and GLC, which will make the payment.

Regarding the granting of extraordinary financial assistance to the beneficiaries of the OPEC disability allowance, it is foreseen that for December the welfare benefits in cash to persons with disabilities will be increased by 250 euros. The surcharge is paid once and will be made during the regular payment of the monthly welfare provision of December 2021.

Finally, it is provided that the monthly pension of uninsured elderly and the social solidarity allowance of uninsured elderly are granted in increments of 250 euros to the beneficiaries of payment of December 2021. In this case the increase is paid once, during the regular payment of the pension and allowance.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the measures are part of a set of actions that provide assistance to vulnerable groups (low-income pensioners, people with disabilities, the uninsured elderly, beneficiaries of KEA) and support for their disposable income. In this context, it is recalled that the doubling of the monthly income support for the beneficiaries of the Minimum Guaranteed Income (EEI) has already been legislated. The payment of the surcharge will take place on December 15, 2021.