According to an amendment to the City Government’s regulation, the amount of the disabled child’s benefit in Tallinn will increase from 100 euros to 125 euros annually from next year.

Last year, the city paid 138,300 euros as the benefit for 2,148 disabled children. Tallinn supports families with disabled children by providing the benefit once a year on the month the child's birth. Upon applying once, the benefit is paid annually thereafter. The disabled child’s benefit can be applied for provided that the child's place of residence is the city of Tallinn, the child is up to 16 years old, the child has been diagnosed with a disability, and the residence of at least one parent has been without interruptions the city of Tallinn at least from 1 January of the calendar year preceding the year of application for support.

According to Deputy Mayor Betina Beškina, the city continues to review regulations pertaining to social welfare, and the adjustment in the city's social benefit rates is part of that. "While in the past, the rates of social benefits were established by five different regulations of the City Government, from 1 January 2022, they will be determined in one regulation, which will give people a better overview of the city’s benefit rates," Beškina said. "Similarly to fixing the social benefit rates, the previous changes and additions to the city's procedures have aimed to make the living arrangements of vulnerable city dwellers more humane, accessible and simpler, or, in short, need-based.”

The regulation on social benefits, which will take effect next year, determines the amounts of income-related benefits, universal benefits and the use of social transport services. Except the amount of the disabled child’s benefit, the amounts of other social benefits will remain the same.

The regulation will enter into force on 1 January 2022.