Finally, in a long -term injustice at the expense of our deaf and hearing fellow citizens, the government is putting us. The Joint Ministerial Decision published in the Government Gazette, now the hearing loss/deafness allowance of EUR 391 per month, will also be paid to people aged 18 to 65, who have not received it so far.

From now on, all citizens with deafness/hearing loss with a disability rate of 67% or more, regardless of age, will be able to receive it.
OR Submission of applications begins tomorrow, Tuesday 6 May. Those who apply by October 31, 2025, will receive the allowance retroactively from 1 May 2025. Beneficiaries will be able to apply:

  • at the community centers of their area or
  • in the regional directions of OPECA.

It is estimated that the new arrangement will benefit more than 1,200 of our fellow citizens who have been left out to date. It is recalled that the universal expansion of the deafness allowance to all deaf, regardless of age, was announced on April 14 by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. During his visit to the National Deaf Foundation, the Minister of State Akis Skertsos accompanied.

With this change:

  • Equal access to financial support is ensured for all citizens with hearing problems.
  • All beneficiaries with a disability of 67% or more now receive the allowance of EUR 391 per month.
  • The regulation is part of the national strategy for the rights of people with disabilities and satisfies a chronic request by the Deaf Federation of Greece.
  • EUR 1,060 million has been provided for the state budget, with an annual charge of € 5.5 million, with no effect on other benefits.
  • Old JMDs of 1973, 1982 and 2013 were abolished, which perpetuated discrimination and bureaucracy.

Additional measures and support services

The new regulation is part of a wider network of actions by the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family for universal accessibility and social integration of people with disabilities. Indicative:

  • The “Relay” program is already serving 12,000 users with free remote interpretation.
  • In 28 public places there are tablets with tablets for immediate interpretation.
  • Early intervention centers support children with hearing loss and their parents.
  • Extension of actions for personal assistant, sign interpreters and special services to public structures.

On the occasion of the activation of the new regulation, the Minister of Social Cohesion and Family, Domna Michaelidou, said: “We do not leave anyone behind, we put an end to age discrimination for people with hearing problems. With this arrangement, we restore a chronic injustice to hundreds of people who did not receive the allowance only by age. From today, everyone will receive the allowance, with no exceptions. ”