Social Benefit for Inclusion. Ombudsman renews appeal to the Government to guarantee timely payment to persons with disabilities

The Ombudsman sent a new recommendation to the Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security highlighting the urgency of guaranteeing timely access to the Social Insertion Benefit (PSI) by persons with disabilities.

The new recommendation arises from the continuous receipt of complaints that show that the effectiveness of the PSI is not guaranteed, primarily as a result of the delay that is still verified in the issuing of the Multipurpose Incapacity Medical Certificates (AMIM). In this regard, the Ombudsman reiterated her call for clarification that payment of the PSI is due from the beginning of the month in which the request is presented, guaranteeing that delays and constraints that are not imputable to the petitioners, are not reflected in the date on which payment begins.

In the recommendation, the Ombudsman also draws attention to the fact that the third component of the PSI – the top-up, intended to compensate specific charges resulting from disability – remains, as of 2019, unregulated.

Sent at the end of March 2023, this recommendation takes up two issues addressed in the one addressed to the Government in 2020.

To read the full recommendation, click here [in Portuguese only]