President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has signed the law "On Amendments to Laws on State Benefits for Families Raising Children". The document has been adopted to enhance the level of minimum guarantees for citizens during their social vulnerability. This was reported to BELTA by the press service of the Belarusian leader.
For Women - Increase in Maternity Benefit
The law provides, in particular, for an increase in the minimum amount of maternity benefit. For women who pay mandatory insurance contributions to the budget of the state non-budgetary fund for social protection of the population and have less than 6 months of service (young specialists, women starting their working careers), the benefit will increase from 50% of the subsistence minimum (SM) to 100% of the minimum wage (MW) per month. For those for whom mandatory social insurance contributions to the fund budget were not paid, but who are entitled to this type of benefit (students, women in service, women registered as unemployed), the benefit will increase from 50% to 100% of the SM per month.
The document also provides for an increase in the minimum amount of temporary disability benefit for childcare for insured women with less than 6 months of service. This benefit will increase from 50% of the SM to 100% of the MW (similar to maternity benefit).
For Families - Innovations Regarding Benefits for Children Over 3 Years Old
Legislative innovations also concern certain categories of families when granting benefits for children over 3 years old. In particular, the right to receive such a benefit is retained for families with minor children where a child with a disability has reached the age of 18, has been assigned disability group I, and one of the parents is caring for them and receiving the corresponding benefit. Also, the right to receive this benefit for a child raised in a single-parent family is retained if the child's father, who is obliged to pay alimony, is undergoing compulsory military or alternative service.
For Parents of Children with Disabilities - Enhanced Social Support
Social support for families raising a child with a disability is being strengthened. Thus, the law provides for granting parents the right to receive all types of state benefits during the short-term stay of a child with a disability in a children's home due to the provision of medical care to them.
Increase in benefits and enhanced support for families with children. Lukashenko signs law
on social assistance. In addition, the rights to receive temporary disability benefits for childcare for a disabled child during the period of their sanatorium-resort treatment, medical rehabilitation are expanded, if there are several disabled children in the family. In such cases, it is proposed to grant the right to receive benefits to another person (not a parent) if the parent is busy caring for their other disabled child, or two benefits if both disabled children require sanatorium treatment and rehabilitation during the same period and are accompanied by different persons.
For negligent parents - stricter control
At the same time, control over the targeted use of state benefits is being tightened for families where children have been found in an unfavorable environment. In particular, the obligation has been introduced for state bodies and organizations that grant and pay benefits to provide information about benefit recipients and their family members, without the consent of citizens, upon the request of educational institutions conducting social investigations regarding such families, as well as commissions for juvenile affairs. It is stipulated that the payment of benefits is terminated from the date the court decision on the removal of a child comes into force, or the date the guardianship and trusteeship authority or the commission for juvenile affairs makes a decision on the removal of a child.
The law comes into force on January 1, 2025.
Source: belta.by