Opposition submits proposal for home-care subsidies

The opposition submitted a joint proposal to parliament on Monday to recognise the home care of severely disabled people as full-time employment, the leftist Democratic Coalition (DK) said on Monday.

The proposal was signed by DK deputy head László Varju, Attila Mesterházy of the Socialists, independent lawmaker Anett Bősz, Párbeszéd co-leader Tímea Szabó and LMP’s Péter Ungár, and later joined by Jobbik’s Andrea Varga-Damm and LMP’s Krisztina Hohn.

The proposal calls on the government to review the law in effect since January 1 regulating the subsidies for carers of severely disabled people, saying it is “discriminative”.

As of January 1, home caregivers of severely disabled people or people suffering from a debilitating illness are eligible to receive 100,000 forints (EUR 311) per month.

At a press conference held in January, Ungár said that the new regulation left several families without subsidies. He argued that under the new system, the carer of a child with mild autism — who is capable of eating on their own or dressing themselves — would not be eligible for support, even though one of the child’s parents has to give up their job to care for the child full-time.