When ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, The Republic of Slovenia committed itself to ensure the right to independent living, including the right to personal assistance. Currently personal assistance in Slovenia is implemented through projects. However, the existing system proves to be ineffective and inadequate. Consequently, the Personal Assistance Act was passed in February 2017, which systematically regulates the issue and finally acknowledges the right to personal assistance. The new Act will come into force in 2019, and the interim period calls for the establishment of the new system. The Act gives the right to personal assistance to all groups of disabled people that need at least 30 hours of personal assistance per week aged 18 to 65 years old. These conditions are de facto eliminated for the disabled with sensory impairment, where the Act introduces ''a communication supplement'' which provides 30 hours of assistance per month regardless of the person's age. Furthermore, the Act specifies that when the disabled person acquires this right before the age of 65 they will stay eligible for personal assistance. Personal assistance will be financed by the State budget however, part of the resources will be provided by the disabled's care allowance. The Social Work Centres will decide on eligibility criteria on the basis of the opinion issued by the Expert Commission of the Centre. The Act introduces indirect funding, the resources will be assigned to the services, and the services will offer the benefit in kind (the personal assistance). Slovenia thus finally complies with the obligations set out in the Convention. Nevertheless, the Act is still inadequate and leaves many unresolved questions which need to be addressed by the Regulation.
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