Digital Disability Card: What it is, how it works – 14 questions and answers

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All the possibilities that citizens with disabilities get by using the card to improve their daily life

The new tool addressed to citizens with disabilities and aimed at improving their daily lives in practice is presented by the Ministry of Labor through 14 questions and answers, so that the people who are entitled to it know all its possibilities, its operation, but also how issued and how it is issued.

The 14 questions and answers for the Digital Disability Card follow

1. What is the Digital Disability Card?

It is another digital reform for our fellow citizens with disabilities that practically improves their daily life and reduces their suffering. In the first phase, it works as proof for all public services without exception, without disabled people constantly looking for new disability certificates for every contact with the State. It will gradually integrate all the individual services and benefits provided by each public body to the disabled based on the degree and type of disability. With the activation of the Digital Disability Card – which was designed in collaboration with ESAMeA – a standing request of the disability movement is satisfied after decades. Disabled people finally get a “Dignity Card” that facilitates their transactions.

2. How does it work?

When presented by the beneficiary, the Digital Disability Card proves the identity of its owner, his status as a person with a disability and the level of disability rate that has been recognized for him.
Holders of a Disability Card can, by showing it:
· To be served with priority in public service services and to enjoy every required facility
· To use it as a supporting document instead of the disability certification for the data written on it.
· In the next stage, the specialized benefits that correspond to the “profile” of each beneficiary, as mentioned above, will gradually be integrated into the Card.

3. What types of Disability Card are there?

(a) printable document (such as vaccination certificates)
(b) in digital form in the Gov.gr Wallet application (so that the beneficiary has the Card on his mobile phone – The relevant application is available from November 21)
(c) plastic digital card (currently not available)

4. Who can issue a Disability Card?

A Disability Card can be issued by all persons with a disability percentage of at least 50%, who are registered in the Digital Register of Persons with Disabilities and have a valid disability certification at the time the Card is issued.

5. Is an application required to register the beneficiary in the Digital Register of Persons with Disabilities?

No, no application is required. The entry in the Register is done automatically, as long as the disability certification information is digitally available and there is no problem with the completeness or correctness of the information (especially the TIN and AMKA) as they are printed in the certification. The Disability Card draws the data from the Register.

6. How do the beneficiaries obtain the Disability Card?

The beneficiary can either apply (with TaxisNet codes) at karta.epan.gov.gr, so that a relevant document can be produced that can be printed, or through the wallet.gov.gr application to “download” the Card to their mobile phone phone. The prerequisite is the installation of the application on a mobile phone (https://wallet.gov.gr/).

7. What supporting documents are required for the application at karta.epan.gov.gr?

No supporting documents are required, the beneficiary enters with the individual taxisnet codes.

8. How does the Disability Card differ from the disability certificates used by our disabled fellow citizens until now?

The main difference is that the Disability Card does not include the sensitive medical personal data of the disabled person, i.e. no information about the disability, nor the total percentage beyond the special markings provided (marking of disability scale and marking of the need for a companion). The Cards are marked as follows:
· Marking “I” for those with a total disability rate of 50% to 66%.
· Marking “II” for those with a total disability rate of 67% to 79%.
· Marking “III” for those with a total disability rate of 80% or more.
This practically means that the Card is accepted as proof of the level of disability indicated each time. If, for example, a benefit is awarded to those with a total disability rate of 67% or more, the competent body (e.g. OPECA) should accept all those who have a Card marked as Disability Class II or III.

9. What does the “S” symbol on the Disability Card mean?

The “S” symbol indicates that the holder needs a companion for the purposes of the Disability Card. It is awarded – among others – to minors (until they reach adulthood), to people who need the support of another person / are in total disability, to the beneficiaries of the Staff, people with a motor disability of at least 67%, people with an absolute visual disability or with a percentage of vision disability of at least 80% etc. As long as there is “S” on the Disability Card, this means that if it is a benefit that also concerns the companion of the disabled person (e.g. priority service), then he is also entitled to it.

10. Does that mean the companion must also take out a Card?

No. Whoever accompanies a disabled person whose Card is marked with “S” and if it is a benefit that the provider also awards to the companion, he will also be entitled to the benefit, as defined on a case-by-case basis.

11. If someone does not issue a Disability Card, does this affect their entitlement to benefits?

No. Each provider defines which disability documents they accept. Simply, in addition to what he already accepted, he must also accept the Disability Card, for the data written on it.

12. When does the Disability Card expire?

The Disability Card expires at the earliest of the following times:
a) for minors, five years from its issuance and not beyond the date of majority,
b) for those who have a disability certification valid for life, ten years from its issuance, for those who have a disability certification valid for up to one year, upon the expiration of the certification and in any other case, six months after the expiration of the certification .

13. When is the Disability Card cancelled?

The Disability Card is cancelled:
a) automatically upon the death of the beneficiary,
b) automatically with the owner’s declaration of its loss or damage (applies only to the plastic card),
c) at any time upon request of the beneficiary.

14. Will there be other reforms that actually contribute to the support of people with disabilities?

The effort continues with the goal of completing the digitization of all information and benefits concerning our citizens with disabilities as quickly as possible. In other words, to make the National Disability Portal (epan.gov.gr) fully (inter)functional where all services for the disabled are gathered, that is:
a) certification by KEPA (“Digital KEPA”),
b) register and disability card,
c) register of benefits.

Yesterday, the next pillars were presented, i.e. the Digital Disability Card and the Digital Register of Persons with Disabilities, in which all persons with a certified disability are recorded and the foundations are laid for the digitization of the entire disability benefits system. In other words, for the activation of the last pillar, the Digital Register of Disability Benefits. In it, every citizen will be able to find gathered all the disability benefits of all the ministries and their agencies, as well as all the disability structures of the country.

The National Disability Portal was activated in September, when the “digital KEPA” began to operate, through which the disability certification process was digitized to a very large extent. Insureds now do the whole process digitally and only visit KEPAs once, on the day of their examination for their assessment by doctors. Afterwards, they also receive their opinion electronically, which is uniform and certifies them in terms of the medical criteria for any insurance, welfare, social or other type of benefit. In the last two months, 43,600 applications have been submitted to the digital KEPA.

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