Austria

I - The resources and income of disabled people.

  1. Are there specific legislative procedures for disabled people to enable them to have a minimum of resources ?
  2. Do laws exist in your country to enable a minimum of resources for people who become disabled during their working lives ?

II - Disability compensation.

I –THE RESOURCES AND INCOME OF DISABLED PEOPLE.

A) An average of 70% of blind and seriously partially-sighted people of working age are unemployed. Are there specific legislative procedures for disabled people in your country to enable them to have a minimum of resources?

  • If yes: what are these allowances?

Yes, they receive money from the disability allowance law (Pflegegeldgesetz)

Please note that this allowance (a disability allowance) is received whether the person is employed or not, i.e. it is granted merely on the grounds that the person is blind or partially sighted. It is a compensation for the disability, there is no replacement of income.

Give specific details of the following aspects:

  • 1 Criteria of eligibility
  1. Age.
    All ages (the amount depends on the care dependency)

    - Minimum:
    n/a
    - Maximum:
    n/a

  2. Level of disability.
    Please note that this allowance (a disability allowance) is received whether the person is employed or not, i.e. it is granted merely on the grounds that the person is blind or partially sighted
  3. Nationality.
    n/a
  4. Conditions of residence in the country.
    The applicant must be resident in Austria (in exceptional cases within the EEA)

 

  • 2 Financial conditions.
  1. Ceiling.
    - Is the allowance means-tested?

    No

  2. Calculation of financial conditions.

    - If the allowance is means-tested, state under what conditions.

    n/a

  • 3 Amount of the allowance.
  1. Normal rate.

    - What is the amount of the allowance given to people with no other income, state briefly how the allowance varies according to other income or resources.

    It is not related to other income resources.

  2. Reduction of the allowance.

    - State briefly under what circumstances the allowance may be reduced.

    n/a

  • 4 Minimum wage and “poverty line”.

- In order to compare the situation in different EBU member states, please indicate the minimum wage (if this exists in your country) for a full-time worker, and what is considered to be “the poverty line”.

There is no minimum wage in Austria.  There are different minimum wages for different types of work, depending on the collective agreement. In 2015 the poverty line was 13.956 per year euro for a single person.

  • 5 Payment of the allowance.

 - What are the organisations which calculate and attribute the allowance?

Some is administered by the Austrian federal state, others by the provinces (Länder)

  • 6 Tax treatment of allowances and fringe benefits.
  1. Tax. Is the benefit subject to tax?
    No
  2. Fringe benefits. Does this allowance accord any fringe benefits?
    No

B) Do laws exist in your country to enable a minimum of resources for people who become disabled during their working lives?

Yes

  • If yes : what is the name of the allowance ?

Grundsicherung/Mindestsicherung (fundamental security)

Specify by giving details of the following aspects:

  • 1 Criteria of eligibility
  1. Age.
    n/a
  2. Degree of disability.
    not related to a disability status
  3. Nationality.
    must be a resident of Austria
  4. Residency requirements.
    must be a resident of Austria
  5. Other conditions, please give details.
    willingness to work (if they are not in studying or retired)
  • 2 Means test.

Yes

  • 3 Amount of the allowance.

Single person: 837,76 per month
Couples: 1.256,64 € per month
plus 150,80 € per child
(There can be variations depending on the different regions)

  • 4 Attribution, payment of the allowance.

- Who attributes the allowance: State, local government, others, give details.

The responsibility is shared by the federal state and the Länder (provinces)

  • 5 Tax treatment of allowances and fringe benefits.
  1. Tax. Is the benefit subject to tax?
    No
  2. Fringe benefits. Does this allowance accord fringe benefits?
    No

II – DISABILITY COMPENSATION.

A visual disability (blindness or serious loss of sight) entails additional costs which must be met. Is there a specific allowance in your country to compensate for these costs?

Yes

  • If yes, give the name of this allowance and reply to the following questions.

Pflegegeld (care allowance), which has seven levels, blind people get level 4, partially sighted people get level 3.

  • 1 Eligibility conditions.
  1. Age.
    from birth to death

    - Minimum:

    None

    - Maximum:

    None

    - Duration of the allowance.

    Indefinite

  2. Degree of disability.
    Less than 10 % vision for partially sighted, no usable vision for blind people.
  3. Nationality.
    n/a
  4. Conditions of residence in the country.
    The person must be a permanent resident of Austria (or in exceptional cases be resident within the EEA).
  5. Other conditions, give details.
  • 2 Financial conditions.

 

  • 3 Amount of the allowance.

- What is the amount of the allowance?

€ 664 per month for blind people; € 442,90 for partially sighted people.

  • 4 Attribution and payment of the allowance.

- Which organisations attribute and pay the allowance:
State, local authorities, please give details.

The "Länder", the so-called provinces of Austria..

  • 5 Payment of the allowance.

n/a

 

  • 6 Reduction of the allowance.

- State briefly under what conditions the allowance can be reduced.

n/a

 

  • 7 Tax system of the allowance and fringe benefits.
  1. Tax system.
    Is the allowance subject to tax?
    No
  2. Fringe benefits.
    Does the allowance offer fringe benefits?
    No

    - If yes, give details.