FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF DISABILITY BASED ON ICF AND ITS IMPACT ON SHAPING THE SUPPORT BENEFIT SYSTEM FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF DISABILITY BASED ON ICF AND ITS IMPACT ON SHAPING THE SUPPORT BENEFIT SYSTEM FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Summary/Abstract: Background: The Support Benefit System in Poland, introduced in 2023, provides financial assistance to people with disabilities to support their daily living needs. This system allows individuals to independently manage the allocated resources based on their level of disability, assessed through a standardized questionnaire. The system includes various types of disabilities, and physiotherapists now play a key role in the assessment process. This initiative aims to empower people with disabilities to make decisions about their care.Aim of the study: This study aims to analyze applications and decisions related to the support benefit, taking demographic data into account, and to examine how the type and severity of disability affect the assigned scores.Material and methods: The data for this analysis were sourced from reports by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy and the Provincial Disability Assessment Teams. As applications are still being submitted and assessed, the number of applications and decisions may change.Results: In the first year, 208.1 thousand decisions were issued out of 349.9 thousand applications. The 71–80 age group submitted the largest number of applications (23.64%). A significant correlation was found between age and support points—older individuals received higher scores. No major gender-based differences were observed, although women appeared more frequently in higher score brackets. Greater disability severity was clearly associated with a higher number of points. The most common types of disability were musculoskeletal and neurological disorders.Conclusions: The analysis indicates that older individuals, especially those over 80 years of age, tend to receive higher scores. Although greater disability severity correlates with a higher number of points, some individuals with milder conditions also achieve high scores, underscoring the importance of functional assessment. Women more often fall into higher score ranges, possibly due to greater longevity. Musculoskeletal and neurological disorders predominate among older adults, highlighting ongoing demographic shifts.

• Details
• Contents