ZUS estimates that 66,121 people in Lower Silesian Voivodeship may submit an application, including:

  • in Legnica – 14,829
  • in Wałbrzych – 25,894
  • in Wrocław – 25,397.

Receiving the supplementary benefit will depend on meeting several conditions simultaneously. First, the benefit is intended exclusively for people aged 18 or over who are unable to live independently. Second, the supplementary benefit is available to people who are not entitled to cash benefits financed from public funds, or whose total amount of such benefits—including the amount paid by a foreign institution responsible for pension and disability benefits—does not exceed PLN 1,600. Foreign nationals, including citizens of EU Member States, legally residing in the territory of the Republic of Poland, will also be able to apply for the supplement.

“The institution has already prepared the application form, which is available on its website and in our customer service offices. Our advisers will help complete the application. Let us also remember to collect all documents related to our state of health,” says Iwona Kowalska-Matis, ZUS regional press spokesperson in Lower Silesia. “We receive many questions about whether a certificate of a significant degree of disability entitles someone to the benefit; the answer is no, because it is a different certificate not listed in the act. The legislator clearly specified that the required document is a certificate of inability to live independently.”

For this reason, people who do not have such a certificate but submit an application for the supplement will be referred for an examination by a ZUS medical examiner after submitting the benefit application.

“I would like to remind you that everyone must have the relevant certificate, including people over 75 who, because of their age, were automatically granted a nursing allowance with their pension or disability pension. We estimate that approximately 470,000 people receiving the nursing allowance due to age meet the income criterion. However, to receive the new benefit, they will have to be certified as unable to live independently,” adds I. Kowalska-Matis.

What will people who do not have a certificate of inability to live independently have to do?

These people will have to attach medical records and other documents relevant to issuing the certificate to their application for the supplementary benefit, such as a preventive examination record, medical or vocational rehabilitation records, and a medical certificate on their state of health (issued by a doctor no earlier than one month before the application is submitted).

People with a certificate of a significant degree of disability should also attach it to their application.

The medical examiner will issue the certificate on the basis of the documentation attached to the application—which may in particular be supplemented by an opinion from a consulting doctor or by the results of additional examinations or hospital observation—and after conducting a direct examination of the health of the person for whom the certificate is to be issued.

A ZUS medical examiner may also issue the certificate without directly examining the health of the person for whom it is to be issued if the documentation attached to the application is sufficient to issue the certificate.

When will ZUS pay the money?

The supplementary benefit for people unable to live independently will be payable from the month in which the application was submitted. The date on which the certificate is issued will not matter, provided that the medical examiner determines that the person was already unable to live independently in the month when the application was submitted.

The “złoty for złoty” principle applies when determining the amount of the benefit. This means that the new benefit will be payable in an amount no higher than PLN 500, while the total amount of this benefit and other benefits financed from public funds may not exceed PLN 1,600.

Under this principle, people whose total benefits from public funds range from more than PLN 1,100 to PLN 1,600 are also entitled to the benefit. For example, if the total amount of these benefits is PLN 1,200, the supplementary benefit will be granted in the amount of PLN 400. If the total amount of benefits from public funds is PLN 1,500, the payment will be PLN 100. There will be no rounding when the benefit is paid—the system will calculate the exact amount, such as PLN 324.21.

What income will be taken into account?

Almost all non-one-off benefits received from the state will be taken into account for the income criterion, including pensions, disability pensions, pre-retirement benefits and social assistance benefits. Pension and disability benefits from abroad will also be relevant.

What is not included when calculating income?

One-off benefits will not be included, such as social assistance allowances or a funeral allowance. The nursing allowance or supplements (for example, the combatant’s allowance), income from employment, civil-law annuities and, in some cases, a survivors’ pension will also not be included. A survivors’ pension granted after the death of a parent will not be included in the income of people who became completely unable to work before turning 16, or before turning 25 if they continued their education.

According to ZUS estimates, from October this year until March next year, as many as approximately 850,000 people may apply for the new benefit. Of these, approximately 600,000 people will have to undergo an examination by a ZUS medical examiner, who will determine whether they are unable to live independently.