A new assessment to identify cases of disability has been announced by the Ministry for Social Policy and Children's Rights, alongside the Ministry for Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector.
An interprofessional panel led by Aġenzija Sapport will be set up to help persons living with hidden disabilities and serious functionality problems, the government said.
This new social measure extends to persons living with a disability that is not referenced in the Social Security Act, such as fibromyalgia, ME, and autism, amongst others. There will also be a consolidation of the medical evaluation of persons with disabilities.
Through the issued press release, the ministries stated that people can apply for disability assistance through an online application. This process must be triggered directly by a person's specialist, through their eID, thus allowing medical documentation to be authenticated immediately.
These persons will then begin appearing before an interprofessional panel, headed by Aġenzija Sapport, after these boards have been set up. This evaluation will be based on the World Health Organization's (WHO) international standards on health and disability. A public call has already been issued by Aġenzija Sapport for the professionals required to man the board.
This should allow the respective health professionals to better assess a patient's lack of functionality, and therefore, eventually guide them to what benefits and services they have a right to via Aġenzija Sapport and the Department for Social Security.
Social Policy Minister Michael Falzon commented that this step will effectively help hundreds of people who have, so far, never benefitted from disability benefits. He also remarked that the reigning government fulfils its promises and that it is ready to help anyone in need of assistance.
"Our social soul shall remain because we believe in having social justice with everyone," Minister Falzon said. "Nobody should be disadvantaged because of a disability or because of any kind of situation that can serve as an obstacle to that individual's life."
The Minister for Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, Julia Farrugia Portelli, explained that this electoral promise is being introduced following a continuous dialogue. She added that this social measure aims at creating justice with persons with disabilities who, until now, were not eligible for a financial benefit to alleviate their daily suffering.
"We have kept our word for those suffering a significant burden in silence," she said.
Farrugia Portelli described how through this reform, eligibility for disability services and benefits will no longer be restricted to the list featured in the Social Security Act, thus aligning Malta with the United Nations' convention for the rights of persons with disabilities.
"I look forward so that together with the offered services by Aġenzija Sapport, this reform can provide some light to many people and their families," Farrugia Portelli said while describing how persons with unseen conditions now have the opportunity to become eligible for these services.