Frequently Asked Questions

Provided by OPEKA, the Social Solidarity Allowance for Uninsured Older People offers support to people at an advanced age who were unable to accumulate the insurance record required for a pension.

You can apply for the Social Solidarity Allowance for Uninsured Older People through the Community Centre in your area of residence.

The monthly amount is418.95euros.

If you have reached the age of67thyearand you do not receive a pension from abroad or an insurance or welfare benefit in Greece greater than418.95euros.

If that pension or public benefit is lower than the allowance of EUR 409.13, you are entitled to the difference after subtracting the pension or benefit you receive.

NOTE 1: If the resulting difference is less than twenty (20) euros, the allowance is not paid.

NOTE 2: You must immediately report any change in the amount of a pension or benefit you receive from abroad or Greece so that the allowance can be adjusted accordingly.

NOTE 3: For a pension or other benefit from a foreign body, the exchange rate on the first working day of the year is used when the benefit is granted, granted again or amended by the body responsible for payment because of a change in the foreign pension amount.

You must have lived permanently and legally in Greece for fifteen (15) consecutive years before applying, or for 15 years between the ages of 17 and 67, including ten (10) consecutive years immediately before applying. You must continue to live in Greece after receiving the benefit.

NOTE:The full allowance, or a reduced amount because of a foreign pension or a welfare benefit in Greece, is paid to applicants who meet all the above criteria and have completed at least thirty-five (35) full years of residence in Greece. It is reduced by 1/35 for each year below 35 years of residence.

Your total annual individual taxable income, including income exempt from tax or taxed under a special regime, must not exceed EUR 4,320. For married applicants, the corresponding total annual family income must not exceed EUR 8,640.

The following are not included in income:

a. Financial assistance granted to people with disabilities because of their disability.

b. The dietary allowance for people with end-stage chronic renal failure and transplant recipients.

c. Unemployment benefit.

d. Child maintenance paid under a court decision, notarial deed or private document

Immovable property:

The total taxable value of your immovable property must not exceed EUR 90,000.

Movable property:

The presumed annual expenditure for your movable property (private cars, commercial vehicles or motorcycles) must not exceed EUR 6,000.

Monks and nuns who live in monasteries and are supported by them, and people serving a custodial sentence, are excluded.

Uninsured older people and those who do not meet pension requirements are also excluded if their spouse receives a pension from any source that exceeds the allowance.

Recipients who are not covered for healthcare by another benefit are entitled to pharmaceutical and hospital care at public health facilities using their AMKA, under Law 4368/2016.

An objection to a decision granting or refusing the allowance may be submitted to the objections review body under Article 40 of Presidential Decree 78/1998 (Government Gazette A’ 72),within three months,starting from the date the decision is notified to the applicant.

IMPORTANT

1. Uninsured older people who were already receiving an OGA benefit before 12 May 2016 continue to receive it under the previous rules.
2. From 1 January 2022, the allowance is adjusted annually by a joint decision of the Ministers of Finance and Labour, Social Security and Social Solidarity. The adjustment factor is based 50% on the change in GDP and 50% on the change in the Consumer Price Index in the previous year, and cannot exceed the annual change in that index.