On the Federal Participation Act: Care revolution for the right to self-determined assistance!

A group of assistance users in Berlin takes a critical look at the draft for the Federal Participation Act:The Federal Participation Act is not worth its name: Care Revolution for full participation and the right to self-determined assistance!At the end of June, the Federal Government passed the draft for the Federal Participation Act, which will be discussed by the Bundestag and Bundesrat in the autumn. The law will shape the lives of many disabled people who are dependent on support from other people or technical aids. Such services are usually paid for either by social insurance or social welfare. Disabled people, their associations and welfare organisations are fighting vehemently against the bill in its current form and in favour of changes, especially in the part relating to existing social welfare benefits. This mainly concerns services in residential homes and workshops for people with disabilities, outpatient assisted living communities and assistance. There were great expectations before the first details of the bill became known. Above all, more freedom of choice for people with disabilities and the abolition of the obligation to use large portions of income and assets to finance disability-related needs were expected. Neither of these has been realised. Although the allowances for income and assets are to be increased, people whose income is below the average for all employees will still have to co-finance the support they need. In certain cases, people will even have to pay more than before, but what is more serious is that the right of disabled people to choose the support that best suits them will be restricted rather than strengthened. The principle remains that the authority responsible for the benefit can authorise a different type of support if it is cheaper than the desired one, if it is reasonable. However, what is considered reasonable is vaguely formulated in the draft of the new law. In addition, the existing possibility of providing services for several people together is emphasised more strongly. In addition, all forms of support for disabled people by other people are defined as "assistance". Disabled people understand "assistance" to mean support that is customised to their individual needs and which they determine themselves. With the new law, however, even residential care would be labelled as "assistance". These three points together open up new room for manoeuvre for those authorities that are primarily interested in spending as little money as possible. No less problematic is the plan that only those services and facilities whose remuneration is in the lower third of the group of services or facilities offering comparable services should automatically receive a contract, both for services for disabled people and in care. All others will have to justify why their remuneration is higher. Collective agreements are to be used as justification, but whether this is enough to prevent a downward price spiral is questionable. All of this can still be prevented in the coming weeks and months. With demonstrations, emails to members of the Bundestag and state governments and other actions, we must build up pressure so that the Bundestag and Bundesrat change the law in such a way that it deserves to be called the Participation Act. For full participation and the right to self-determined assistance!