Personal assistance is a systemically regulated right that is available to everyone under equal conditions, regardless of their income or property. In the Republic of Slovenia, it is regulated by the Personal Assistance Act, which was adopted in 2017 and has been in effect since the beginning of 2019. The Act was adopted based on the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which guarantees the right to independent living in Article 19. Personal assistance enables persons with disabilities to live independently and is tailored to the individual’s needs. The user must have control over their own personal assistance, and if they are unable to manage it, their legal representative takes over. A person is entitled to personal assistance if they require help in performing daily activities and integrating into the environment due to a disability, are between 18 and 65 years old, have permanent residence in the Republic of Slovenia, need assistance for at least 30 hours per week, and live or wish to live in an independent or shared household outside of full-time institutional care. A key element of the right to personal assistance is the free choice of provider or personal assistant. Personal assistance is provided by non-profit organizations and personal assistants may regularly work under an employment contract or as sole proprietors. Applications for personal assistance must be submitted to the competent Social Work Centre, which issues a decision determining the number of hours of personal assistance the individual is entitled to. Funding for personal assistance is provided through the state budget of the Republic of Slovenia, and the funds are distributed to providers by the competent ministry.
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