A new economic support measure could soon ease the burden of those who dedicate their lives to caring for family members with serious disabilities. The government has included in a bill approved in January a monthly contribution of up to 400 euros, intended for family caregivers who find themselves in difficult economic conditions.
Who is the support aimed at?
The benefit is designed for people who take care of family members or cohabitants who are in extremely critical health conditions on a daily basis, without any compensation. This is not occasional assistance: the law requires a documented commitment of at least 91 hours per week, to be certified through the local social and health services. We are therefore talking about situations in which assistance practically becomes a full-time job.
Anyone who can benefit from the contribution must necessarily take care of a person in receipt of an accompanying allowance, with a disability classified as very serious. In practical terms, it means caring for someone who requires continuous care, 24 hours a day, and who is unable to live independently.
From a work perspective, the caregiver does not have to have a full-time job. This constraint reflects the reality of many people who have had to reduce or completely abandon their work to dedicate themselves to care.
The economic requirements
The measure has a clear social objective: to support the most vulnerable families. For this reason, specific income limits are set. The family ISEE cannot exceed 15,000 euros per year, a threshold that identifies families in actual economic difficulty. Furthermore, the caregiver himself must have a personal income of less than 3,000 euros per year.
It is therefore aid aimed at a very specific audience: people who have sacrificed job opportunities and live in precarious economic conditions to guarantee assistance to those in need.
Activation times
Although the approval of the bill by the Council of Ministers took place in January, and the official presentation in the Chamber followed in February, the times for the actual disbursement of the bonus are still long. The text must go through the entire parliamentary process: discussion in the commission, possible amendments, vote in the House and subsequent passage to the Senate.
Once it becomes law, the measure will require further implementing decrees which will define the concrete operating methods. A clear signal on the timing comes from the expected allocation: 257 million euros, but starting from 2027. This suggests that payments are unlikely to start before next year.
How the request will work
Although the procedure is not yet operational, the bill provides some guidance on how it will work. A national computer register of family caregivers will be established, where it will be necessary to register by providing all the documentation required to certify one’s condition.
Once you have obtained recognition as a caregiver, you can proceed with the actual application for the financial contribution. It is expected that the management will be entrusted to INPS, with the possibility of submitting the request online through the institute’s portal or by contacting local charities and offices for assistance in completing it.
Payments, when they start, will take place on a quarterly basis. Considering the maximum amount of 400 euros per month, each quarterly payment will be 1,200 euros.
Help that doesn’t penalize
An important aspect concerns the impact of the bonus on other forms of support. The money received will not contribute to the formation of the family ISEE. This means that those who benefit from the contribution will be able to continue to request other social assistance without seeing their certified economic situation worsen. A choice that recognizes the extraordinary nature of caregivers’ commitment and the need not to create paradoxical effects that could exclude them from other supports.
The measure represents a first concrete recognition of the fundamental role played by family caregivers, often invisible figures in the welfare system, who guarantee assistance and care allowing people with serious disabilities to remain in their home environment.
