News item | 16-02-2024 | 2:55 PM
At the proposal of Minister Schouten for Poverty Policy, Participation and Pensions, the Council of Ministers has agreed to send the Balanced Participation Act bill to the Council of State for advice. With this bill, the government is taking the first concrete step to remove harshness in the current law by putting people first and based on trust. In this way, the government wants to make the Participation Act better aligned with what people can handle and need. Professionals are given more space to help them with this.
Informal care
The Participation Act is intended to provide income support to people who need it and to help them return to work (partially). And if that is not (yet) possible, support with other forms of participation. The bill offers a coherent package of more than twenty measures to improve the Participation Act and restore the balance between rights and obligations. Among other things, it provides scope for providing informal care without this having consequences for benefits. Social assistance recipients may also receive gifts of up to €1,200 per calendar year without any reduction in benefits and they may keep part of their additional earnings as a stepping stone to work.
Buffer budget
Part of the bill also allows municipalities to pay out a buffer budget in individual cases. This prevents people with a combination of benefits and paid work from falling below the social assistance standard per month. Municipalities will also have the option to grant retroactive assistance on an individual basis. For young people, it will be possible for municipalities to make an exception to the four-week search period that applies before they claim social assistance. The option to apply for income support through the IOAZ is being expanded for self-employed people aged 55 and older who have ended their business or profession.