Delays in Disability Pension and Caregiver Allowances
162
Signatures
500
Goal
August 27, 2024
In 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran mandated that the Targeted Subsidies Organization would henceforth be responsible for disbursing disability pensions. Previously, this responsibility lay with the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee, overseen by the Supreme Leader, and the State Welfare Organization, under the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare. Since the transfer of these responsibilities, there have been delays in processing the files of beneficiaries eligible for pensions.
Following the shift to the new organization, both pension payments and caregiver allowances for people with disabilities have been either halted or significantly delayed. Behrouz Morovati, a disability rights activist, stated in an interview with ILNA (Iranian Labor News Agency) that the government has failed to pay the subsistence allowance for people with disabilities for the third consecutive month (ILNA, July 22, 2024). According to the Support Beneficiaries News Telegram channel, approximately 20% of beneficiaries had their pensions cut off during the transition.
Fatemeh Ahmadi, another disability rights activist, mentioned in an interview with Tejarat News that caregiver allowances have faced similar issues. While a few individuals received their June caregiver allowances, many others have yet to receive this modest amount of 2,100,000 tomans (Tejarat News, July 17, 2024).
Currently, about 75,000 individuals are supposed to receive caregiver allowances for in-home disability care, and another 31,000 are awaiting payments related to spinal cord injuries. However, due to the transfer of responsibilities from the State Welfare Organization, many of them have not received any payments for several months (Radio Zamaneh, July 24, 2024).
The pensions and caregiver allowances for citizens with disabilities are their legal rights. The government cannot and should not treat these legal rights as charitable donations subject to religious groups, the compassion of wealthy individuals, or offerings during the month of Muharram. These rights are enshrined in Law, and the government is obligated to enforce them.
The Campaign for Disability Rights estimates that at least 350,000 individuals with severe and very severe disabilities are on the waiting list for subsistence allowances and rehabilitation aids such as wheelchairs, crutches, and hearing aids. Additionally, at least 100,000 individuals with severe disabilities are waiting for caregiver allowances.
During his presidential campaign, Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian committed himself to the Law on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities and the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In his "Manifesto," he pledged: "I commit to addressing the needs of people with disabilities without discrimination and without infringing on their rights, treating all citizens of my country equally."
Now that Pezeshkian's cabinet is in office, we, the people with disabilities, expect the new government to:
- Immediately and consistently pay the overdue pensions of citizens with disabilities.
- Disburse the caregiver allowances that have been delayed for several months.
- Expedite the processing of beneficiaries' files and streamline the disability services within the Targeted Subsidies Organization.
- Officially recognize and provide for individuals with severe and very severe disabilities currently on the waiting list for pensions and caregiver allowances.
The pensions and caregiver allowances for citizens with disabilities are their legal rights. The government cannot and should not treat these legal rights as charitable donations subject to religious groups, the compassion of wealthy individuals, or offerings during the month of Muharram. These rights are enshrined in Law, and the government is obligated to enforce them.
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Province Number of signatures Alborz 1 Ardabil 0 Bushehr 0 Chahar Mahaal and Bakhtiari 0 East Azerbaijan 0 Fars 2 Gilan 2 Golestan 0 Hamadan 0 Hormozgan 0 Ilam 0 Isfahan 0 Kerman 1 Kermanshah 0 Khuzestan 0 Kohgiluyehv And Boyer Ahmad 0 Kurdistan 0 Lorestan 0 Markazi 0 Mazandaran 0 North Khorasan 0 Qazvin 0 Qom 0 Razavi Khorasan 1 Semnan 0 Sistan and Baluchestan 0 South Khorasan 0 Tehran 8 West Azerbaijan 2 Yazd 0 Zanjan 0 This petition has received 162 signatures so far. Approximately 76% of signatures come from Iran. Approximately 24% of signatures come from outside of Iran. Learn how Daadkhast generates signature maps. -
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مستمری شهروندان دارای معلولیت و پرستاری حق قانونی آنهاست، دولت موظف به پرداخت آن بدون تأخیر است.
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مستمری شهروندان دارای معلولیت و پرستاری حق قانونی آنهاست، دولت موظف به پرداخت آن بدون تأخیر است.
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A Disability Rights Activist started this petition
