Senior voucher at risk? Doubts within the government itself

In September, the Minister for Supervision of the Implementation of Government Policy, Maciej Berek, presented on Friday 58 priorities on which the Council of Ministers is working. Among them was a senior voucher. This is to be support in the form of care for seniors aged 75 and over in their place of residence and in situations when their loved ones cannot take care of them. The voucher will not be paid in cash.

Will the senior voucher be delayed?

In October, the Minister for Senior Policy, Marzena Okła-Drewnowicz, announced that the draft law on the introduction of a senior voucher “should be adopted at the end of this year and become operational in the new year.”

However, as “Fakt” reports, this date may be at risk. Reason? The project in its current form raises doubts about the Government Legislation Center, and the opinion of this institution is crucial. – The project in its submitted form – due to the solutions used and its fundamental legal and legislative defects, as well as its serious social consequences – raises doubts as to the validity of further proceedings in its currently presented form. – emphasizes Monika Salamończyk, vice-president of the Government Legislation Center, quoted by the newspaper.

According to government lawyers, the proposed date for introducing the senior voucher “raises doubts not only due to the current stage of legislative work on the proposed act, as well as the need to provide adequate time for conducting parliamentary legislative work, as well as to guarantee the exercise of the President of the Republic of Poland’s right to sign the act within 21 days from the date of its presentation, but primarily due to the lack of an appropriate vacatio legis that will enable the addressees of the proposed provisions to adapt to the changing legal status.”

The draft law is currently being worked on by the Standing Committee of the Council of Ministers. And even if it was adopted by the government in November, it would still have to be dealt with by the Sejm and the Senate. For the act to come into force, it must still be signed by the president. All this would have to happen by December 31 this year.

The project assumes that the maximum monthly value of the senior voucher will be PLN 2,150 gross, i.e. 50%. minimum wage in the second half of 2024. First of all, the voucher is to be awarded to people aged 80 and over. Only after three years will the program cover people aged 75 and over.

Who will receive?

An application for a senior voucher can be submitted by a senior’s descendant (child, grandchild, great-grandchild) who proves that he or she remains professionally active. To receive a senior voucher, a senior’s family will have to meet certain criteria:

• A senior’s income cannot exceed PLN 3,410 gross per month,

• The income of relatives cannot exceed twice the minimum wage (single-person household) or three times the minimum wage (multi-person household).

The services will be implemented by municipal offices. They are responsible for finding and then training caregivers, which will certainly also be a challenge.