Nicosia, Cyprus. Disability benefits in Cyprus are set to increase under new legislation expected to be unveiled by the government in the coming days, representatives of disability, patient and elderly advocacy groups said after meeting President Nikos Christodoulides on Monday. They said the proposed law would also end income-based eligibility criteria for beneficiaries.
Planned changes to benefits
Representatives of the organisations said the proposed law would provide higher benefits for both existing and new beneficiaries across different categories of disability. They said eligibility would no longer be linked to income criteria.
Cyprus Confederation of Disability Organisations (Kysoa) president Themis Anthopoulou said the legislation would be the first substantial revision of disability support in decades. She said many benefits had remained unchanged for around 20 years and described the planned increases as significant, though exact amounts have not yet been announced.
Expanded eligibility
According to Anthopoulou, the reform will extend eligibility to people with severe disabilities and moderate intellectual disabilities who were previously excluded from state support because they did not meet the income criteria tied to the minimum guaranteed income scheme.
She said this would benefit people with autism, multiple sclerosis and other disabilities who until now could only receive support if they qualified under income-based welfare rules.
Previous legislation and further discussions
The organisations said the new framework follows legislation approved in April that decoupled disability benefits from the minimum guaranteed income system.
Cyprus Federation of Patients’ Associations (Osak) president Charalambos Papadopoulos said all existing disability-related allowances would be increased, including some that would not otherwise have been adjusted under the new legal framework.
Papadopoulos said discussions with the president also covered additional policy proposals that could be developed in the coming months. Representatives of the organisations said a follow-up meeting with the president has already been scheduled for the autumn.
