Main items on the agenda: A plan of measures to implement the Concept on Developing a Comprehensive Rehabilitation System for Persons with Disabilities, a proactive information procedure regarding payments for the care of persons with disabilities and the elderly, the zero profit tax for municipal cultural centres.
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks:
Good afternoon, colleagues,
The Government has approved a plan of measures to implement the Concept on Developing a Comprehensive Rehabilitation System for Persons with Disabilities, including disabled children. It was elaborated under President’s instruction and is designed for the next four years.
The main task is to create in this country an effective system of support for people with special needs. Today, Russia has about 11.5 million of such individuals. They should be surrounded with care and receive help subject to their individual situation under uniform standards in all regions of this country. Among other things, care should be provided at home under supervision of skilled professionals, which would obviate the need for these people to be placed in institutions.
We will have to draw up effective laws in this sphere and make up a list of services in the main areas of comprehensive rehabilitation.
It is important that the relevant organisations be located within easy reach so that people should not have to travel to another side of town. Moreover, these organisations must employ skilled staff. We will introduce a system for basic training, retraining and advanced training for these employees. Besides, there will be personal assistants to help deal with vital problems, such as getting an education and many other issues.
Special attention is given in the plan to children with disabilities.
For many diseases, a timely diagnosis is the most important thing. Therefore, we will continue to expand the practice of perinatal and neonatal screenings in order to increase babies’ chances to cope with the disease at an early stage and avoid its consequences in the future.
We have to be more proactive in developing stewardship technologies for families with children with special needs and involve parents in the rehabilitation process. They seldom even know how to organise the life of such a child, provide them with comfort and opportunities for development, or what nuances there are in education and communication. It is important that families are not left alone with their problems and can receive answers to all their questions. Parents also need moral support. Experts will help with this.
In addition to this, in the next several years we will introduce cutting-edge approaches to working with people with disabilities of all ages.
Colleagues, I am asking you to carefully monitor how measures are being carried out to implement the concept in your areas.
Another decision is about the closest relatives of those pensioners who have already marked their 80th birthday, as well as parents of disabled children. The state will inform them when they have the right to compensation payments for the care of their family members. Even if a person forgot or did not know about such an opportunity, he or she will receive a notification on the public services website or by mail.
In addition to this, it will be possible to apply for support online, that is without leaving home, which will make the benefits established by the head of state more accessible, and people will receive them without delay.
In order to introduce the new mechanism, agencies must largely restructure their work, so the new rules will come into effect next year.
The President emphasised that technological development is especially vital today. And the Government is consistently improving the system of available digital services. Since the beginning of this year, disability pensions have already been issued automatically, as soon as a person receives such a right.
Today’s decision will significantly expand the application of the mechanism of proactive notification that does not require unnecessary actions from people. All the information will be found in the state databases.
Let me also stress that it is still possible to fill in the documents at a public services centre.
The Government continues to support municipal cultural centres and clubs. Now they can enjoy the zero tax rate.
The new incentive was introduced on 1 January 2022. Over the last 18 months, it has been available for museums, theatres and libraries established by regions or municipalities. It has been highly popular.
Cultural institutions that are located in rural areas and small towns are especially in need of such support. We have almost 37,000 of them in Russia. This is not just a place of relaxation for locals, but also an important part of social infrastructure, including for organising extracurricular activities for children, clubs and studios.
Corresponding amendments have already been introduced into the Tax Code. The Government resolution supplements the list of activities that will make the zero rate available for municipal cultural centres and clubs, including children's educational programmes as well as tours, festivals, contests, film screenings, research, and a number of other activities.
