Unified benefits for everyone in 2024

The Ministry of Labor advocates a complete change in the structure of payments from the insurance fund after mid-2024, that is, in less than a year.

The reason is the revision of the benefits of the (former) insurance and pension funds, which were combined into e-EFKA for 6 years (not to be confused with OPECA social benefits, which are provided based on income criteria and unemployment benefits DYPA). That is, the amounts will be revised: sickness benefits, maternity benefits, benefits in case of an accident at work, funeral subsidies, as well as additional benefits provided to people with disabilities.

The central axis of planned changes to the wider social security sector (which also includes the above-mentioned benefits, not just pensions) will be as follows: each insured person will receive the same amount of benefit from e-EFKA for the relevant reason (eg illness, accident, etc.) and not some other amount (depending on the special regime still in force in each former fund) as is the case at present.

According to newsit.gr exclusive information from competent government sources, the goal is to unify the rules of the above-mentioned benefits that apply to all insured persons (retired and economically active), in a fair but fiscally neutral manner, that is, without cutting existing expenditures from the state budget.

However, the formation of uniform rules, the same sources report, means that for insured persons whose payments (for example, in case of illness, for funerals) are higher than average, their size will decrease. And for those with below-average payments, they will see an increase in the amount.

For example, even one insured from one fund is entitled to a sickness benefit higher than the average amount of that benefit, since it is the result of payments made by all funds. The amount of sickness benefit for this insured person will be reduced to the average level. If an insured person from another fund is currently entitled to a below-average sick pay benefit, they will see the benefit rise to the average level.

Let us remind you that the formation of uniform rules for the payment and non-pension benefits of E-EFKA (and not just pensions) has been ongoing since 2017, when all insurance and pension funds came under one “roof”.

Last week, according to relevant information, The Ministry of Labor approved (and signed) the decision “to create working groups for the unified regulation of benefits.”

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