15 / 120
15
Findings
For people with major functional impairments, specific support and
service measures can be granted under the LSS Act if a person has a
basic need for help and has a functional impairment included in the
law. If the basic need amounts to more than, on average, 20 hours per
week, the person is entitled to assistance under the Social Security
Code (SFB) administered by the Social Insurance Agency. If the
basic need can be satisfied by less than 20 hours, Personal Assistance
may be granted under the LSS Act, administered by the municipality.
For people with impairments who are not considered to meet the
criteria to be granted Assistance Benefit or services according to the
LSS Act, other measures can be granted according to the Social
Services Act (SoL).
The data analysis show that the number of Assistance Benefit
applications increased throughout the period, but the share of granted
applications decreased for all the years except the last year, 2013. A
large share of those granted Assistance Benefit had other municipal
support the year prior to applying for Assistance Benefit. The number
of refusals of applications increased throughout the period. On
average, 50 per cent of those not granted Assistance Benefit received
services according to the LSS Act from the municipal the following
year, of which more than half received Personal Assistance.
The number of persons who lost their entitlement to Assistance
Benefit, due to the fact that the basic needs did not exceed more than,
on average, 20 hours per week, increased between 2008 and 2011;
thereafter it has remained on the same level as 2011. After 2009,
about 80 per cent of those who lost their entitlement to Assistance
Benefit received support according to either the LSS- or SoL Act
instead the following year. Furthermore, 50 per cent received
Personal Assistance according to the LSS Act.
The number of hours of assistance granted to those who received
Assistance Benefit increased during the studied period. This applied
to both those that received Assistance Benefit for the first time and
to those who got their entitlement renewed. This implies that the
increasing hours is not a consequence of a change in the person’s
needs, but rather due to changes in the case handling by the Swedish
Social Insurance Agency and by case-law clarification.