– According to our estimates, in a few years there will be up to 150,000 people in this industry. people, assistants. This is truly a completely new branch of the economy – said Łukasz Krasoń, the government plenipotentiary for people with disabilities, in the “Tak jest” program on TVN24. Last week, the Act on assistance was included in the government's list of legislative works. He explained that the planned date of entry into force of the act is mid-2026.
– Today we don't have many assistants, but according to our estimates, in a few years there will be as many as 150,000 in this industry. people, assistants. This is truly a completely new branch of the economy, said Łukasz Krasoń, the government's plenipotentiary for people with disabilities, on TVN24.
The state budget will pay for assistants for people with disabilities
– The Act on assistance will guarantee the service to people who meet certain criteria. The money will come from the state budget, regardless of whether someone lives in a large town, in a city or in a small village, somewhere far away – added the guest of the “Tak jest” program.
As he explained, in the first year of this service they will be covered by it people from 18 to 65 years old, having 90 or more points on the scale of the level of need for support. – This threshold will decrease every year. By 2028 it will be 80 points. And every person who has this certain number of points will be able to receive it from 30 to even 240 hours per month of this service – he added. – It is incomparable to what is happening today – said the guest of the program.
The government's disability representative also explained that personal assistants' remuneration will depend on the needs of the people they work for. – Let us remember that different people with disabilities have different needs. And the scope of activities will vary. Well, for the purposes of the regulatory impact assessment being prepared, the average hourly rate for an assistant in 2026 will be around PLN 60 gross – he added.
Work on the project
The draft act on personal assistance for people with disabilities was included in the government's list of legislative works on Friday. According to the government's proposal, a person with a disability will be able to decide who will become his or her assistant and what scope of services he or she will provide.
Łukasz Krasoń, asked on TVN about the stage of work, announced that social and inter-ministerial consultations would probably begin next week or the following week. Subsequently, it will go to the Council of Ministers and the Sejm – in the first quarter of 2025, we will adopt these regulations, then the process of preparing the system will begin – he noted. – And then, in mid-2026 – because this is our forecast – we will be able to say: ladies and gentlemen, we have joined the Western countries. We have a personal assistance system service. We implement the provisions of the Convention UN in this regard.
The project assumes that a person with a disability will be able to decide whether the service will be provided by an assistant of his/her own choosing or by a person cooperating with non-governmental organizations operating in his/her area or within the system organized by the district.
If she decides to use the intermediation of a non-governmental organization or a district, she will each time have the right to choose an assistant from among at least two people indicated by these entities.
The government information emphasizes that a system of requirements for assistants will be defined, which will include appropriate training and verification of qualifications and competences. This system will also include, in a limited form, information about persons indicated by people with disabilities. Non-governmental organizations that want to provide assistance services will also be subject to certification. The system will be supervised by voivodes and the government plenipotentiary for disabled people.
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