The Minister of Solidarity-Based Future, Simon Maljevac, expects the bulk of the long-term home care network to be set up during the summer. This will allow long-term care to be fully operational on the ground in the autumn, he said on Monday. He expects the first decisions regarding claimants to be adopted in the autumn. Many have expressed doubt about the success of long-term care, as other parts of the care are not being implemented either.
The Ministry of Solidarity-Based Future announced months ago that the right to home care and e-care would be operational by the 1st of July, but on Monday, Minister Simon Maljevac already stretched the deadline. He has postponed any decisions until autumn.
The long-term care tax – the latter is not fully implemented at all – was introduced on the 1st of July and will take one percent of gross wages or pensions per month from workers, employers and pensioners, and as much as two percent per month from sole entrepreneurs and self-employed farmers. The ministry calculates that by the end of this year alone, they will have collected around 255 million euros, and around 700 million euros next year.
It should be noted that the law on long-term care adopted by the previous – Janša government did not foresee additional taxes. The Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS) parliamentary group has also tabled an amendment to the law proposing the abolition of the long-term care contribution and a solution whereby pensioners could also be the carers of a family member. The coalition rejected the bill completely.
Nevertheless, the caravan of an operationally dysfunctional ministry goes on. The rights will only be implemented gradually. As of the 1st of January of this year, entry points are already being set up at social work centres across the country, where users will be able to choose the form of long-term care they want. The right to a family carer is already being implemented. On the 1st of July, the much-awaited right to home care and the right to e-care, which brings technical support in the form of a safety phone and, for example, a bracelet with a button to call for help, should come into force. The right to long-term institutional care and the right to a cash benefit ranging from around 90 euros to just under 500 euros are also foreseen as of the 1st of December.
C. Š.
