Financial Support Programs for People with Severe Disabilities

1. Eligible persons are those assessed by the competent health committee as having:

a) A physical, intellectual or mental illness or disability with a disability rate of at least 67%;

b) End-stage chronic renal failure and a disability rate of at least 80%, regardless of eligibility for the nutritional allowance;

c) Type 1 insulin-dependent diabetes with a disability rate of at least 50%.

2. Eligible categories:

a. Uninsured persons or persons insured indirectly;

b. Persons with disabilities who are directly insured, if they:

• are not employed and are registered with the Public Employment Service (DYPA), or have ceased their professional activity and are not entitled to a pension, allowance or other financial support from their insurance body because they do not meet its insurance requirements. Failure to meet insurance requirements includes not having reached the required age or insurance period, as well as owing social security contributions above the debt limit provided for in Article 61 of Law 3863/2010 (A’ 115) and Article 68 of Law 4144/2013 (A’ 88).
• participate in vocational training or employment-support programmes, including self-employment, and/or work in Social Cooperative Enterprises under Law 4019/2011 (Koin.S.Ep.) (Article 13 of Law 4331/2015 and Article 34 of Law 4430/2016);

• have a disability due to mental illness or intellectual disability, or both, with a disability rate of at least 50% for those conditions, and an overall disability rate of at least 67%; and take up employment, provided salaried work or self-employment is recommended for psychosocial rehabilitation and social reintegration and this is certified by an opinion from a mental health unit in the relevant Mental Health Sector, valid for three (3) years, in accordance with Law 2716/1999 (A’ 96). The above provisions do not apply to pensioners who take up permanent or indefinite-term private-law employment with a General Government entity (Article 23 of Law 4488/2017).

• do not meet the insurance requirements for retirement from their insurance fund.

c. Pensioners of insurance funds:

As a general rule, severe-disability financial support is not granted to people receiving an old-age, disability or survivor’s pension from a Greek or foreign social security body, regardless of its amount.

Exceptions: 

· The full severe-disability support, currently €338.00, is granted: a) to people receiving the uninsured older persons’ benefit from OPEKA; and b) from 1 May 2023 onwards, to uninsured or indirectly insured children receiving a pension or supplement from the State, a public-law entity or a social security body equal to or lower than €364.20 per month. From 1 January 2023 onwards, for pensions and supplements received by children through an indirect entitlement, it is not examined whether the pension is paid because of their disability; only whether the total monthly amount (main pension, supplementary pension and supplements) is equal to or below €364.20.

From 1 January 2024, for the granting and continued payment of severe-disability financial support (Government Gazette B’ 108/1989), the net amount before tax paid to the applicant or beneficiary by any other domestic or foreign public body, public-law entity or social security body, excluding OPEKA, as financial support, a disability benefit, pension or supplement, is compared with €375.13 (€364.20 × 1.030), under Joint Ministerial Decision F11321/oik.104985 (Government Gazette B’ 6856/07.12.2023). From 1 January 2025, for granting or continuing severe-disability financial support (Government Gazette B’ 108/1989), the net pre-tax amount paid to the applicant or beneficiary by another domestic or foreign public body, public-law entity or social security body, excluding OPEKA, as financial support, disability benefit, pension or supplement, is compared with €384.13 (€375.13 × 1.024), under Joint Ministerial Decision F.53457/24 (Government Gazette B’ 6865/16.12.2024).

From 1 January 2026, for granting or continuing severe-disability financial support (Government Gazette B’ 108/1989), the net pre-tax amount paid to the applicant or beneficiary by another domestic or foreign public body, public-law entity or social security body, excluding OPEKA, as financial support, disability benefit, pension or supplement, is compared with €393.35 (€384.13 × 1.024), under Joint Ministerial Decision F.31854/25 (Government Gazette B’ 6519/08.12.2025).

d. Persons with disabilities serving custodial sentences.

3. Other eligibility conditions:

a.  They must not qualify for another specific financial support programme for people with disabilities (for example, support for people with severe intellectual disabilities, paraplegia or tetraplegia, or haematological conditions).    

b. They must not receive disability financial support from a domestic or foreign public body equal to or greater than €384.13 per month from 1 January 2024 (andfrom 1 January 2026 equal to or greater than €393.35).) .

c. They must not be receiving publicly funded inpatient care or accommodation in a public hospital or welfare institution, respectively, for more than three months.

d. They must not be outside Greece for more than six (6) months.

4. Legal framework
5. Joint Ministerial Decision G4a/F225/oik.161/1989 (Government Gazette B’ 108) of the Ministers of Finance and Health, Welfare and Social Security.
6. Joint Ministerial Decision P4g/F225/oik.2866/1995 (Government Gazette B’ 629) of the Ministers of Finance and Health, Welfare and Social Security.
7. Joint Ministerial Decision D29a/F.32/G.P.oik.10804/528/2013 (Government Gazette B’ 1189) of the Ministers of Finance, Labour and Social Security, and Welfare.
8. Joint Ministerial Decision F11321/oik.104985 (Government Gazette B’ 6856/07.12.2023) of the Ministers of National Economy and Finance, Labour and Social Security, and Social Cohesion and Family Affairs.

Supporting documents:

1. Directly insured persons must submit a DYPA certificate ; self-employed persons must also submit acertificate that their business activity has ceased issued by the competent tax office.
2. People with disabilities due to mental illness or intellectual disability, or both, with a disability rate of at least 50% for those conditions and an overall disability rate of at least 67%, who take up salaried work or self-employment where this is recommended for psychosocial rehabilitation and social reintegration must submit a  certificate from a mental health unit in the relevant Mental Health Sector, valid for three (3) years, in accordance with Law 2716/1999 (A’ 96).
3. Directly insured people with disabilities who participate in training or employment-support programmes, including self-employment, and/or work in Social Cooperative Enterprises under Law 4019/2011 (Koin.S.Ep.) must submit a DYPA certificate showing participation in the relevant programmes, or a certificate from the Social Cooperative Enterprise..

4. Uninsured or indirectly insured children receiving a pension, supplement or other financial benefit from any source equal to or below €375.13 (from 1 January 2025, the comparison amount is €384.13), A certificate from the insurance body showing the type of pension and the net amount received. 

The monthly amount paid to beneficiaries is €338..

ELIGIBLE CATEGORIES

a. Greek citizens. An identity card must be submitted.

b. Citizens of European Union (EU) Member States. An “EU citizen registration certificate” must be submitted.

c. Citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA) and countries covered by the European Convention ratified by Legislative Decree 4017/1959 (Government Gazette A’ 246). A valid residence permit must be submitted.

d. Recognised refugees permanently residing in Greece whose status is governed by the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (Legislative Decree 3989/1959, Government Gazette A’ 201), as amended by the 1967 New York Protocol (Emergency Law 389/1968, Government Gazette A’ 125). A recognised refugee identity card must be submitted.

e. Third-country nationals who are family members of a Greek or EU citizen. A valid residence permit as a family member of a Greek or EU citizen must be submitted.

f. Third-country nationals who are beneficiaries of international protection. An international protection beneficiary identity card must be submitted.

g. Third-country nationals who have been granted residence status for humanitarian reasons. A residence permit for humanitarian reasons must be submitted.

h. Citizens of countries that have signed a relevant bilateral agreement with Greece, ratified by law. A valid residence permit must be submitted.