The care system is not keeping up with the needs of people with disabilities. These regulations need to be changed

• Decisions on inability to lead an independent life issued by KRUS are not recognised in the healthcare system "on an equal footing" with decisions issued by ZUS - local government officials from Wielkopolska note.
• Another major problem is the lack of access to medical services provided for the disabled in the event of emergencies. According to local government officials, in such situations a ruling with the appropriate "legal force" could be issued by a primary care physician.
• Local government officials notice three main problems in the disability care system.

Simplification of procedures, elimination of unnecessary administrative barriers and ensuring real and timely support for people with disabilities - this is how one can summarize the appeal of local government officials for changes in the regulations concerning the care system for the disabled.

The Association of Municipalities and Districts of Wielkopolska admits that the postulates were formulated, among others, based on the experience of the District Team for Disability Assessment in Konin and on the basis of reports from residents of the Konin district. Local government officials see the need for changes in three main aspects.

As local government officials note, the current legal status means that decisions on inability to live independently issued by KRUS, although their legal effects correspond to those of ZUS, are not universally recognized. SGiPW lists here, among others, proceedings for granting support benefits, access to programs implemented by the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons (PFRON) and the use of some reliefs financed by the National Health Fund (NFZ).

In practice, this leads to the necessity for people who already have a KRUS decision to undergo a new decision procedure before the district disability decision-making team. This procedure is multi-stage, time-consuming and burdened with significant formalism, which obviously delays the moment of obtaining assistance.

- we read in the association's position.

Local government officials are proposing an amendment to the regulations that will ensure full recognition of KRUS rulings, thus eliminating unnecessary administrative procedures.

Under the current legal regime, healthcare facilities use a unified IT system to process orders for the supply of medical devices, aids and rehabilitation services.

- Unfortunately, this system currently has problems with verifying patients' entitlements based on decisions issued by pension authorities (ZUS, KRUS) or old decisions of the Disability and Employment Commission (KIZ) - write local government officials.

The consequence of this state of affairs is that doctors are often limited in their ability to issue orders solely on the basis of decisions issued by district or provincial disability assessment teams.

- they note in the appeal.

They add that this causes unjustified extensions of waiting times for access to necessary services and constitutes an unnecessary administrative barrier for patients and service providers.

The appeal included a request to adapt the existing IT systems in healthcare to enable effective verification of patients’ rights based on the judgments of all adjudicating bodies.

- In order to increase the efficiency of this process, we propose that primary care physicians be given direct access to information on issued decisions via an integrated database maintained by pension authorities and district and provincial disability assessment teams, or alternatively - to provide medical facilities with the right to use these resources for ongoing, electronic verification of current patient decisions - we read in the SGiPW letter.

According to the association, this solution will not only streamline the process of granting benefits and reduce administrative burdens, but will also directly contribute to improving patients’ access to the healthcare services they are entitled to.

The current practice of applying the regulations, in particular in the field of financing health care services, including medical rehabilitation and the supply of medical devices, results in a situation in which, in order to obtain the most favourable amount of reimbursement, the patient is obliged to submit a certificate of disability or an equivalent certificate.

- This problem becomes particularly important in cases of sudden accidental events and accidents that result in serious injuries and often lead to disability - local government officials note.

They add that people affected by such incidents immediately require the use of specialist medical equipment or immediate rehabilitation to prevent further deterioration of their health and to minimise the risk of permanent damage to health.

Meanwhile, the current legal solutions, which make the level of reimbursement dependent on the prior submission of a decision, result in a longer therapeutic process and prevent doctors from making quick therapeutic decisions.

- we read in the appeal of local government officials.

According to the association, the situation will be improved by introducing changes to the applicable legal regulations, which will enable people requiring support - in particular those waiting for a disability certificate to be issued - to have immediate access to medical services based on a current and objective assessment of the patient's health condition made by a primary care physician before the formal completion of the certification procedure.

The full position of the Association of Municipalities and Districts of Wielkopolska in the "Multimedia" section.