What to do in case of informal care?
Taking care of a person with an illness or disability at home is not easy. Fortunately, CM assists informal caregivers with advice and support.
Many questions arise to ensure that home or informal care runs smoothly. Who can you contact? What premiums are you entitled to? The Social Work Department will help you on your way. The service offers tailor-made support. And takes the well-being of everyone involved into account.
How does the Social Work department help you?
- Do you notice that there is a need for a meeting with everyone involved, including the various healthcare providers? Then a Care Consultation is the solution. We think together about the needs and tasks and draw up a care plan.
- Need more information about psychiatric or palliative home care ? The service can also help you with these complex home care situations.
Recognition as an informal caregiver
You can apply for 2 types of recognition via CM: without social rights or with social rights .
Thanks to social law, you can apply for informal care leave . Because caring for someone is sometimes difficult to combine with a job. In social law, stricter medical criteria for care needs have been drawn up.
Application for recognition (without social rights)
What are the conditions for the informal caregiver?
- Both minors and adults can be recognized.
- You are registered in the population or alien register and reside in Belgium.
- You regularly care for a person in need of care.
- You do not provide that care through your profession or as a volunteer.
- At least one professional care provider will assist you with your care.
- You take into account the needs and wishes of the care recipient.
What are the conditions for the care recipient?
- You need care due to an illness or disability.
- You have not been admitted to a residential care institution for more than ninety days.
- The help increases your self-reliance and ensures that your social contacts are maintained.
How do you apply?
- Complete and sign the application form.
- The informal caregiver provides it to CM within thirty days of signing.
- After approval, you will receive a certificate within twelve weeks. You are then recognized as an informal caregiver from the date of signing the application.
End of recognition
Has your situation changed and do you no longer meet the criteria? Then you must report this to CM.
The recognition stops:
- at the request or death of the informal caregiver or care recipient;
- in the event of the death of the informal caregiver or care recipient;
- if the care recipient no longer needs care;
- if the care recipient is permanently admitted to a healthcare institution (more than ninety days);
- if the informal caregiver no longer meets the recognition criteria;
- if the informal caregiver is convicted of violence, abuse, fraud or neglect.
Important:
- Recognition as an informal caregiver does not offer any additional benefits.
- Informal care is not a professional activity. If you receive sickness or maternity benefits, the advising doctor will check whether the informal care is compatible with your general health. This person will inform you of his decision by letter. If you have permission, you may start or continue informal care.
Application for recognition (with social law)
What are the conditions for the informal caregiver?
- Both minors and adults can be recognized.
- You are registered in the population or alien register and reside in Belgium.
- You care for a person requiring care for at least 50 hours per month or 600 hours per year.
- You do not provide that care through your profession or as a volunteer.
- At least one professional care provider will assist you with your care.
- You take into account the needs and wishes of the care recipient.
What are the conditions for the care recipient?
- You need care due to an illness or disability.
- You are registered in the population or alien register and reside in Belgium.
- You have not been admitted to a residential care institution for more than ninety days.
- Your care and support needs are sufficiently serious and meet a medical criterion of care need .
Medical criterion for need for care
- Be recognized as a child with a disability with a score of:
- at least twelve points for the three pillars that evaluate the disability;
- or at least six points in the evaluation of the third pillar (consequences for the child's environment).
- As a child, you are entitled to increased child benefit (old child benefit legislation).
- Have a score of at least twelve points for the degree of self-reliance in the context of the medical conditions for persons with disabilities examination.
- With a score of at least twelve points you are entitled to:
- the income replacement allowance ;
- the integration allowance ;
- the allowance for assistance to the elderly (Brussels/Wallonia);
- the healthcare budget for elderly people with a care need.
- Be entitled to the 'Third party assistance' benefit.
- As a civil servant, you are entitled to a medical pension and a 'Third Party Assistance' benefit with at least twelve points.
- Have a score of 35 points on the BEL scale in the context of the healthcare budget for those in serious need of care.
- Have a score of at least 13 points on the BELRai screener or at least 5.5 points on the sum of the IADL and ADL modules.
- According to the KATZ scale, you are entitled to the B or C lump sum.
- Meet one of the medical criteria for the healthcare fixed allowance for the chronically ill.
How to apply?
- Complete and sign the application form.
- Return this form to CM within thirty days of signing
- After approval, you will receive a certificate within twelve weeks. You are then recognized as an informal caregiver from the date of signing the application.
- This certificate remains valid for one year. You can use this to apply for informal care leave.
End of recognition
Has your situation changed and do you no longer meet the criteria? Then you must report this to CM.
The recognition stops:
- at the request or death of the informal caregiver or care recipient;
- if the care recipient no longer needs care;
- if the care recipient is permanently admitted to a healthcare institution (more than ninety days);
- if the informal caregiver no longer meets the recognition criteria;
- if the informal caregiver is convicted of violence, abuse, fraud or neglect.