SASSA to add more services to aid disabled

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has called on grant recipients who already receive an old-age, disability or war veterans grant, to apply for a grant-in-aid, which can be used to assist with medical bills, nutritious food purchases, and compensating the person taking care of the frail. SASSA Mpumalanga spokesperson, Senzeni Ngubeni, stated that qualifying recipients must not be cared for at an institution that already receives a state subsidy. “Applicants who do not have an identity document, smart ID or birth certificate for the children involved in the application, can still apply for a grant, but must check with the nearest SASSA office on which alternative documents are accepted for grant applications. SASSA has noted with concern that most frail recipients of old-age grants, disability grants and war veterans grants do not come forward to SASSA offices to apply for a grant-in-aid. SASSA cares about the conditions of frail, elderly people not receiving proper tender care which can be ascribed to many social ill factors in some communities. One of SASSA’s primary objectives is to raise awareness to teach families with frail grant recipients to come to any nearby SASSA office to apply for this additional grant.”

According to SASSA, successful applications could be paid within three months, snd the payments will be backdated to the day the application for the grant was completed. “The grant-in-aid will be cancelled if the beneficiary is no longer in the care of another person, if they pass on, or if they get admitted to a state institution, and if the income or assets improve so much that they no longer qualify in terms of the means test.” Ngubeni concluded. For more details, contact SASSA on 0800 60 1011, Mondays to Fridays, from 08:00 - 16:00.