The Mazhilis approved the amendments on social protection in the first reading

The Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan approved the draft law "On Amendments and additions to some legislative acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on social protection of certain categories of citizens" in the first reading, the agency's correspondent reports.

The bill simplifies the procedure for determining the category of disability of children (https://primeminister.kz/ru/decisions/20052021-330)

At the plenary session of the Mazhilis, during the discussion, Speaker of the Chamber Nurlan Nigmatulin focused on ensuring the availability of public services, primarily for people with disabilities.

"The draft law was developed to improve the legislation on social protection of certain categories of citizens, including such categories as persons with disabilities, families raising disabled children, labor veterans, and others," the minister said.

At the plenary session of the Mazhilis, Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Serik Shapkenov said that now out of 66 thousand people with disabilities of the first group, one in three is not provided with either a care allowance or the services of an individual assistant.

"These are people in a comatose state, bedridden disabled people, and so on. As a result of the adoption of the bill, the care allowance will cover an additional 24 thousand people who need constant outside care. Preparatory work is underway to introduce a new allowance, " the head of the Ministry of Labor said.

The draft law provides for the establishment of a disability group for children from 7 to 16 years old by the requirements of the international classification of functioning, disability, and health; the introduction of state social benefits for disabled children of groups 1, 2, and 3 in the amount of 1.92, 1.59 and 1.4 subsistence minimum, respectively (the increase in the number of benefits in comparison with the current benefits for disabled children will be from 6.5 to 17.8 thousand tenge).

In addition, the document provides for the introduction of benefits to persons caring for disabled people of group 1, in the amount of 1.4 subsistence minimum; granting the right to disabled children to simultaneously receive disability and survivor benefits, which will increase the income of families with disabled children and those who have lost a breadwinner (the norm will affect more than 2 thousand people).

The draft law provides for the preservation of the priority for obtaining housing from the state housing fund for families raising a disabled child if they reach the age of 18.

In addition, it provides for the creation of an operator to promote the employment of persons with disabilities at the expense of compensatory contributions from employers for non-compliance with the quota for the employment of persons with disabilities. From 2023, compensation contributions will be provided for employers as an alternative to fulfilling the quota for the employment of persons with disabilities. These funds will be used to promote employment: subsidizing the costs of employers who create special jobs; organizing training for people with disabilities in the skills necessary for employment; organization of paid internships for persons with disabilities with potential employers.

As previously reported, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population intends to divide children with special needs by age and increase their benefits, legislate a norm for extending the waiting list for housing when they reach 18 years of age, and several other norms aimed at improving life - these are categories of people. The draft law is designed to implement the norms of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to eliminate discriminatory terms in legislation; improve social protection of persons with disabilities; promotion of employment and creation of opportunities for economic activity of persons with disabilities; provision of a guaranteed social package for low-income families, registration of documents for special social services and in a taxi through the social services portal from 2023. The document also provides for the expansion of the category of "veteran of labor" and the establishment of a guaranteed level of social benefits in case of loss of income in connection with the care of a child upon reaching the age of one year, in case of resumption of work. In total, the bill includes eight conceptual innovations. The document will not require additional allocation of budget funds – they are already provided for in the budget for 2021-2023 in the amount of 55.4 billion tenge.

Who is entitled to several benefits at the same time

The new bill provides for the provision of the right to simultaneously receive disability benefits and survivor benefits.

This, according to the developers of the document, will increase the level of income in families that have lost a breadwinner and have children with disabilities.

According to the current legislation, children with disabilities can receive alimony and disability benefits at the same time when their parent's divorce. However, if one of the two breadwinner parents dies, the child can receive either a breadwinner's loss allowance or a disability allowance.

"The simultaneous assignment of two types of benefits will eliminate discriminatory practices against children who have lost a parent. With the introduction of this norm, about 2,000 children will also be able to receive a survivor's allowance on an equal basis with the disability allowance," said Serik Shapkenov, the Minister of Labor.

Social protection of citizens in case of injuries at work

In Kazakhstan, at the expense of the state, they will provide technical means and rehabilitation services for those who have received a disability from labor injury, if the employer is unable to do so.

Serik Shapkenov explained that now in the event of termination of the activity of an employer, an individual entrepreneur, or the liquidation of a legal entity, the obligations pass to the state. At the same time, disabled people are deprived of the possibility of obtaining technical means for rehabilitation during the suspension of the company's activities or during the bankruptcy proceedings.

"Often, the bankruptcy procedure can last up to 1.5 years. During this period, a person who has received a disability at work remains without technical means of rehabilitation. This measure will allow timely coverage of up to two thousand people with technical means and rehabilitation services, " the minister explained.

Extension of the housing waiting list

Another novelty of the bill was the possibility of extending the right of families raising children with disabilities to be on the waiting list for housing after the child reaches the age of majority.

"In practice, such families are waiting in line for housing for up to 10 years. If it is not possible to get housing before the child reaches the age of 18, then the disabled person has to re-join the queue. It is assumed that this norm will allow more than 20 thousand families to keep the queue for housing, " the head of the Ministry of Labor of Kazakhstan said.

In addition, the bill is supposed to extend the period of care for a disabled child to 18 years. This will have a positive impact on the appointment of retirement benefits for old age and basic pension.

In Kazakhstan, the concept of "disabled person" will be replaced

The provisions of the draft law providing for the change of the concept of "disabled person" to the concept of "person with disabilities" and the introduction of the concept of "habilitation" (a system of medical and pedagogical measures to prevent and treat pathological conditions in children).

The deputies of the Mazhilis approved the draft law on the social protection of certain categories of citizens in the first reading.