© BELGIUM
The Flemish government is making money available for people with disabilities whose healthcare budget is affected by the ruling of the Council of State earlier this week. This was reported by Minister of Welfare Hilde Crevits (CD&V) and Minister of Budget Matthias Diependaele (N-VA). In total this concerns about 3,000 people. The operation will cost approximately 12 million euros.
The way in which the Flemish government adjusted or ‘updated’ the budgets for people with disabilities in 2020-2021 was reversed by the Council of State last Monday. As a result of this exercise, many people with disabilities, often people who had been on the waiting list for years, saw their anticipated budget suddenly decrease. That loss went from about 600 euros per year to more than 10,000 euros per year.
Flemish Minister of Welfare Hilde Crevits committed to respecting the judgment and providing the necessary resources for this. The Flemish government has now given the green light to release these resources.
The concrete details are still being discussed together with the Flemish Agency for Persons with Disabilities (VAPH), but it has already been agreed not to ask for money back from the approximately 700 people who received a higher budget after the adjustment. “They will also maintain the higher budget in the future,” Minister Crevits explains.
According to the minister, the more than 2,200 people who received less after the adjustment will receive an “adjusted budget” “in the coming weeks”. The VAPH will contact everyone involved for this purpose.
The government will also provide additional resources for budget retroactivity. “The government will also release the necessary budgets for this. Legal considerations are currently being given to how this can be organised. This will also become clear to the people involved in the coming weeks,” it said.