Country

Bulgaria

Long-term care

Basic principles

There is no single long-term scheme.

No special legislation. The long-term care is provided trough social insurance and social assistance legislation.

It is provided to all residents, irrespective of their economic status, in kind and in cash.

The provision is organised centrally. Social services are financed by the state budget through the municipality budgets and by fees from the recipients.

Long-term care

Field of application

For the pension supplement:

·    status of pensioner,

·    reduced working capacity/ degree of disability exceeding 90%,

·    constant need of assistance to perform daily activities.

For each type of long-term care service there are specific criteria to be met by the recipients. In general the eligible categories are as follows:

·    old persons with no relatives who can take care of them,

·    disabled or socially vulnerable persons,

·    disabled or socially vulnerable children.

Organisation of Long-term care

Informal caregivers and professional providers

Social Services:

The state, the municipalities, legal persons from Bulgaria, EU and EEA countries registered as undertakings under the trade legislation existing in the country of establishment.
Supplement for pensioners in need of permanent assistance by a carer: National Social Insurance Institute (Национален осигурителен институт).

Informal caregivers:

·    Рarents (adoptive parents) or spouses taking care of a person with a degree of disability/ reduced working capacity exceeding 90% who permanently needs assistance of a carer.

·    Individuals employed under the National Programme ‘Assistants for People with Disabilities’ and National Programme ‘Social services in family environment’.

·    Professional providers: Physical persons (Bulgarian nationals or nationals of EU and EEA countries) registered under the Bulgarian trade law or the trade legislation of the country of origin.

Long-term care

Benefits for the carer

Persons (parents, spouses, individuals) employed under the National Programme ‘Assistants for People with Disabilities’ receive a monthly remuneration in an amount equal to the statutory monthly minimum wage which is currently BGN 290 (€ 149).

Persons employed under the European Social Fund Programmes facilitating the delivery of the ‘personal assistant’ service can receive an hourly remuneration equal to BGN 2 (€ 1.02) for a maximum of 160 hours per month.

Persons employed under the European Social Fund Programmes facilitating the delivery of the ‘home assistant’ and ‘social assistant’ services can receive a monthly remuneration between 110% and 140% of the statutory minimum wage which is currently BGN 290 (€ 149).

Long-term care

User charges

In case of social services, the beneficiary may have to pay to the municipality or to the service provider.

The fees for social services provided by professional providers are fixed by the provider.

The fees for social services provided by the state vary from 30 to 50% of the income of the beneficiary (semi-residential care) and from 50 to 80 % of the income of the beneficiary (residential care). However, the amount of the fee cannot exceed the amount of the actual expenditures of the provider for delivering the social service. 

Country

Bulgaria

GDP at market prices

Purchasing Power Standard per inhabitant, 2011

11 600

Pension expenditure,  % of GDP, 2010

9.1%

Expenditure on care for elderly, % of GDP, 2008

0.0%

At-risk-of-poverty rate, age group 65 years or over, 2011

30.9%

Old-age pensions

Basic principles

First Pillar:

Public pension insurance, functioning as a standard pay-as-you-go system. It is mandatory and covers all individuals hired by employers as well as self-employed, farmers, individuals working without a formal labour contract and others; nearly 30 categories of insured persons.

Second Pillar:

Supplementary compulsory pension insurance based on a defined contributory fully funded principle. There are two types of funds within this second pillar. The one is the so-called Universal Pension Fund and covers all persons born after 31/12/1959. The second one is the Professional Pension Fund and covers the persons working under the first or the second labour category.

Old-age pensions

Legal retirement age in standard case.

First Pillar:

The right to a pension is acquired if the following requirements are met:

·    Men: 63 years and 4 months of age and 37 years and 4 months of insurance.

·    Women: 60 years and 4 months of age and 34 years and 4 months of insurance.

 Since 31/12/2011, the retirement age has started to increase by 4 months per calendar year until reaching 63 years of age for women and 65 years of age for men.

As of 31/12/2011, the required length of insurance has started to increase by 4 months per calendar year until reaching 37 years for women and 40 years for men.

If a person has insufficient length of insurance, the right to a pension shall be acquired after having completed 15 years of insurance (all of which must be actual service as opposed to credited periods, and upon reaching 65 years and 4 months of age for men and women. Since 31/12/2011, this age has started to increase by 4 months per calendar year until reaching 67 years of age.

Calculation of insurance periods: upon retirement periods of insurance are adjusted whereby 3 years of first category labour or 4 years of second category of labour are considered equivalent to 5 years of the third category of labour.

Specific provisions exist for certain professions.

Financing principles for old-age pensions

Contributions (employer and insured person). Transfers from the State Budget

State Budget covers deficit

Benefits for older unemployed

No special provision

Financing systems for long-term benefits. Case of  old-age benefits

Current income financing (‘pay-as-you-go‘) for persons born before 1 January 1960 and combined system (PAYG and fully funded) for persons born after the 31 December 1959 and those working under the 1st and the 2nd labour category.

Health care

Basic principles

A compulsory social insurance scheme financed by contributions for Bulgarian citizens and for residents in Bulgaria and a scheme funded by taxes providing benefits in kind, other than those provided by the contribution-funded scheme.

Health care

Benefits for prosthesis, spectacles, hearing-aids

Disabled persons receive cash allowances for the purchase or repair of supporting devices according to a list set annually by the Minister of Labour and Social Policy (Министър на труда и социалната политика).

Country

Bulgaria

Use of computers

Enforced lack of a computer

2011

One adult 65 years or over. Cannot afford

17.1%

E-skills

2012

Individuals who have copied or moved a file or folder

41.0%

Individuals who have used copy or cut and paste tools to duplicate or move information on screen

35.0%

Individuals who have compressed files

26.0%

Way of obtaining e-skills

2011

Individuals who have obtained IT skills through self-study (learning by doing)

31.0%

Reasons for not having taken a computer course

2011

Individuals who do not need to take a computer course because their computer skills are sufficient

17.0%

Individuals who do not need to take a computer course because they rarely use computers

6.0%

Use of Internet

Frequency of Internet access:

2012

Once a week (including every day)

50.0%

Daily

40.0%

Internet used for

2012

Internet banking

4.0%

Interaction with public authorities (last 12 months)

27.0%

Mobile Internet access with portable computer

Every day or almost every day 2012

7.0%

Individuals' level of Internet skills

2011

Individuals who have used a search engine to find information

49.0%

Individuals who have sent an email with attached files

37.0%

Individuals who have posted messages to chat rooms, newsgroups or an online discussion forum

22.0%

Individuals who have used the Internet to make phone calls

28.0%

Individuals using the Internet for seeking health-related information

24.0%

Concern about possible problems related to Internet usage

2010

Strongly concerned about catching a virus or other computer infection (e.g. worm or Trojan horse) resulting in loss of information or time

0.0%

Mildly concerned about catching a virus or other computer infection (e.g. worm or Trojan horse) resulting in loss of information or time

0.0%

Not at all concerned about catching a virus or other computer infection (e.g. worm or Trojan horse) resulting in loss of information or time

46.0%

Security related problems experienced through using the Internet for private purposes in the last 12 months.

2010

Caught a virus or other computer infection (e.g. worm or Trojan horse) resulting in loss of information or time

27.0%

Financial loss as a result of receiving fraudulent messages ('phishing') or getting redirected to fake websites asking for personal information ('pharming')

0.0%

Activities via Internet not done because of security concerns

2010

Security concerns kept individual from ordering or buying goods or services for private use

13.0%

Security concerns kept individual from communicating with public services and administrations

5.0%

Use and update of IT security software or tool to protect the private computer and data

2010

Use any kind of IT security software or tool (anti-virus, anti-spam,firewall, etc.) in order to protect private computer and data

34.0%

Don't use any kind of IT security software or tool (anti-virus, anti-spam, firewall, etc.) in order to protect private computer and data

4.0%

Don't know if use any kind of IT security software or tool (anti-virus, anti-spam, firewall, etc.) in order to protect private computer and data

6.0%

Frequency of safety copies or back up files from the computer on any external storage device

2010

Frequency of safety copies/back up files: always or almost always

11.0%

Frequency of safety copies/back up files: Never or hardly ever

10.0%