The plundering of the state budget through the large number of people with disabilities and the high salaries with which they apply for subsidies has continued this year with even larger amounts. In six months, 20 million euros were paid from the Professional Rehabilitation Fund and the state budget, while the budget plan had foreseen an amount of 12 million for these needs, it was stated in the budget report for the six months.
At the end of July, after three years of preparation, the Government sent to the Parliament a proposal for amendments to the Law on Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities, as well as a new law on a unified disability assessment. However, despite earlier announcements, these laws do not provide for any limits on the amount of the subsidy, but it will continue to amount to up to 75 percent of the salary agreed upon by the employed person with a disability and the employer who is the beneficiary of the subsidy. This solution has so far led to employers reporting employees with lower professional qualifications with salaries exceeding eight thousand euros.
No obligation to review previous solutions
These laws do not even provide for an obligation to review the previous decisions of various commissions on determining disability. There are now at least 14 thousand of these active decisions and their number is rapidly increasing every month. Based on them, wage subsidies are paid to 5.033 people, while 8.366 people are registered as unemployed with the unemployment office, where they receive from 240 to 450 euros per month, in addition to other privileges and benefits. This figure, excluding family members, would be worth three deputies in the state parliament in the elections.
In the report from the public hearing on the draft law on unified disability expertise, when asked by participants whether there will be a review of the existing rights of persons with disabilities, the Ministry responded that it will adopt a position regarding the review of existing solutions, that is, a decision on whether a review will be conducted, which rights will be reviewed and within what deadlines.
No employment checks or subsidy restrictions
These draft laws do not even stipulate that an employer of an employed person with a disability, for whom the majority of his salary is paid by the state, must prove that he needs the employment of that person, what the work tasks are and what results he achieves. Such a solution exists in Croatia, from where some of the experiences were taken, as well as in other European Union countries that support and subsidize the employment of persons with disabilities.
Despite earlier announcements, these laws do not provide for a limit on the maximum subsidy amount. The previous proposal stated that the limit would be at the level of the average gross salary, which would now be 1.200 euros. According to the Tax Administration, two-thirds of employees receive salaries below the current net amount of XNUMX euros.
A thousand new disabilities in six months
In the period January-June of this year, according to a report by the Employment Agency, within which this Fund operates, medical commissions determined the disability of another 953 people, while 566 new people with this document entered the system of subsidizing their employment. Of the new number of people with disabilities, half of them are from small towns in the north, Berane and Rožaje, 230 and 205, respectively, while 130 are from Podgorica, 69 from Nikšić, 57 from Bar, 34 from Pljevlja... In Berane, 55 percent of the total number of unemployed are people with disabilities, in Andrijevica 60 percent, in Petnjica 55 percent, in Rožaje 46 percent...
According to this data, the Institute will pay more than 40 million euros this year from the state budget for subsidies for the employment of people with disabilities, and another 22 million euros for people with disabilities who are registered as unemployed. In other words, these two types of benefits for the already large army of people who have disability papers will cost taxpayers as much as two installments for a highway.
Figures tripled in three years
For three years, "Vijesti" has been warning about the huge abuses of the status of people with disabilities, their very controversial number, by registering for employment at high salaries that the state subsidizes to the employer in a percentage of 50 to 75 percent, without a legal limit on the amount itself. Then in 2022, there were 1.727 people with disabilities for whom subsidies were paid, while the total amount of subsidies was 14,5 million euros. Now in June, subsidies were paid to 5.033 people and that figure continues to grow, which led to a threefold increase in the amount provided from the budget. In 2017, subsidies were paid to 319 people with disabilities.
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The proposed law on unified disability assessment foresees the establishment of an Institute for Unified Disability Assessment, as well as a procedure for selecting experts. This institute is to replace all previous commissions that determined the existence of disability.
The definition of this new expert assessment is explained: "A single disability assessment, within the meaning of this law, is a procedure that assesses and/or determines the existence of a long-term physical, psychosocial, intellectual or sensory impairment of a person which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others, as well as the level of support needed for their equal inclusion in society."
Whoever has acquired the rights will keep them.
The amendments to the Law on Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities state that an employer who employs a person with a disability who has been determined to have the third or fourth level of support required in accordance with the law regulating the unified disability assessment will receive a subsidy of 75% of the gross salary paid for the entire period of employment. For an employer who employs a person with a disability who has been determined to have the second level of support required in accordance with the law regulating the unified disability assessment - in the first year, they will receive a subsidy of 75%, in the second year 60%, in the third and each subsequent year 50% of the gross salary paid.
It is also envisaged that persons with disabilities who have acquired rights under the current law will continue to use them.
Due to the proposal of a new law on unified disability assessment, amendments to four other laws have also been proposed for their harmonization: on labor, on veterans' and disability protection, on social and child protection, on pension and disability insurance, on travel benefits for persons with disabilities, and on the upbringing and education of children with special educational needs.
There are no restrictions and prevention of abuses with "travel"
In May of this year, "Vijesti" also wrote about the massive abuses of the Law on Travel Benefits for Persons with Disabilities, which allows these persons, as well as some other categories from the social protection system, to have a benefit for 12 road and rail trips per year in Montenegro (and the same number for their companions), as well as the right to financial compensation if they organize these trips in their own vehicle.
The rules are reflected in the fact that these people massively report that they have made these 12 trips in their vehicle on the longest route from their city. Thus, people from Rožaje massively report trips for themselves and their entourage to Herceg Novi, and people from Pljevlja regularly “travel” to Ulcinj.
As the number of people with disabilities in Montenegro is drastically increasing, the state's cost on this basis has exceeded eight million annually.
Users from Rožaje withdrew 700 thousand euros in cash in February alone for an alleged 10.147 trips in their vehicles, mostly to Herceg Novi. The only evidence is their statements that they went.
The government has proposed amendments to this law to the parliament, but these amendments do not address limiting these abuses, but only harmonizing the norms with the law on unified disability expertise.
The only novelty is that the inspection supervision over the implementation of this law is carried out by the inspector for social and child protection, while the current law stated that inspection supervision is carried out by the state administration body responsible for social welfare affairs.
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