Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1101649
NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 APRIL 2019 Level 7, Airways House, High Street, Sliema. Tel: 21 222 999. Email: cruise@cruiseandtravel.com.mt Download a brochure at: www.cruiseandtravel.com.mt MTA Licence: TRA/M02 YANNICK PACE THE number of people regis- tered as receiving a government invalidity pension during 2018 stood at 3,996, the lowest it has been since 1993. A contributory invalidity pen- sion, commonly referred to as being 'boarded out', is granted to individuals who are certified as being incapable for suitable full-time employment or regu- lar part-time employment due to a serious disease of bodily or mental impairment. The number of individuals re- ceiving such a pension, peaked at 9,491 in 2006 and has been steadily decreasing since. Dur- ing this period, government expenditure on invalidity pen- sion dropped from roughly €37 million to just under €22 mil- lion. A spokesperson for the Social Solidarity ministry said the re- versal was due to "legal and op- erational changes" implement- ed in 2007. "Impairment tables for inva- lidity pension purposes based on a points system became part of the Social Security Act, changes to the applica- tion were also made, includ- ing a detailed medical report which was now required to be completed by the treating GP or specialist," the spokesper- son said. They added that changes were also implemented to the medical evaluation process, with applicants now no longer being seen by a medical panel which would in the past "sub- jectively" make a decision with limited medical information provided. Instead, applications were now assessed by doctors contracted by the department who would "objectively assess" cases in line with the the im- pairment tables and related guidelines. "These changes led to a con- stant decline in the number of invalidity pensioners since 2007," the spokesperson said. In addition to the changes in eligibility for such a pension, the spokesperson said other factors may have contributed to the decline in recent years, includ- ing "pension deferral incentives in the form of percentage pen- sion increases for persons who opt to continue working rather than retire early". The measure is intended to incentivise workers nearing the age of retirement to remain in employment in exchange for a higher pension. The spokesperson explained that in the past, persons near- ing their pensionable age who might feel physically or mental- ly unfit for work, would tend to explore the possibility of being boarded-out instead of switch- ing to part-time work during their last years before retire- ment. Such persons, the spokesper- son said, now had less of a rea- son to consider this an option. Invalidity pension hits lowest number of beneficiaries ever in over 20 years 4365 4411 4859 5216 5331 5779 6106 6255 6701 7560 8424 8832 8837 9491 9014 8408 7389 6529 5853 5208 5089 5067 4813 4593 4248 3996 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000 1991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018 Number of individuals