From 1st January 2025, until 31^st December 2026, elderly people (aged 80 or older), with a very serious level of care needs and an ISEE (Equivalent Economic Situation Indicator) not exceeding € 6,000, can benefit from the “Prestazione Universale” (Universal Benefit), a new experimental measure that integrates the existing attendance allowance with an “assistance allowance” of a maximum of € 850 per month, aimed at remunerating the care and assistance work carried out by domestic workers or at acquiring home care and autonomy support services provided by qualified companies and professionals.

Through the “assistance allowance”, those entitled to it will be able to acquire services provided by domestic workers, socio-healthcare services (personal care and hygiene, laundry, preparation-distribution of meals, home care and assistance, accompaniment to visits, for carrying out small errands and administrative tasks) and social support services (relational support, help with maintaining practical skills, educational-social support, home help, and tele-assistance).

We have prepared a concise guide below that can help you navigate the intricacies of Italian bureaucracy and clarify your main doubts. If you would like immediate assistance, write to: info@fiatlux.legal. Our experts at Fiat Lux Legal will be happy to help you.

1) Bonus for Non-Self-Sufficient Elderly: What it is and how much it amounts to

As anticipated, starting this year, INPS (National Social Security Institute) will provide, on an experimental basis, the new bonus for the very elderly who are not self-sufficient, officially named “Prestazione Universale” (Universal Benefit), intended for those over eighty who are not self-sufficient and subject to a specific care need defined as “very serious”. The experimental period will run from 1^st January 2025, to 31^st December 2026.

The Universal Benefit will be paid monthly and consists of:

1. A fixed monetary amount, corresponding to the attendance allowance (Law 11 February 1980, no. 18);
2. An integrated amount, defined as “assegno di assistenza” (assistance allowance), equal to € 850 per month, as a contribution to the cost of care and assistance work carried out by domestic workers or for the purchase of care services intended for the elderly, provided by qualified companies.

ATTENTION: The fixed amount and the integrated amount are paid through two separate payments:

1. The fixed amount is paid according to the methods already in use for the payment of the attendance allowance
2. The integrated amount is paid through a specific payment arranged via the “Prestazione Universale” platform.

INPS will monitor the expenditure at the end of a possible redetermination of the amount of the integrated allowance, should a mismatch arise between the number of submitted applications and the financial resources identified by the legislator.

2) Universal Benefit for the Elderly: Requirements

The recognition of the universal benefit for the elderly is subject to the following requirements:

1. Being aged 80 or older
2. Having a very serious level of care needs, assessed based on the documents drawn up by the INPS medical-legal commission, in accordance with the indications provided by the technical-scientific commission appointed on 16 October 2024, with Ministerial Decree no. 155/2024 and approved by the Minister of Labour and Social Policies on 19 December 2024;
3. Not having an ordinary social and healthcare income (ISEE), for the purpose of validity, exceeding € 6,000
4. Being the recipient of the attendance allowance (art. 1, paragraph 1, Law 11 February 1980, no. 18) in force. In case of suspension, the Universal Benefit will not be recognized.

Specifically, for the very serious care need level, the law indicates the following cases:

• People in a coma, Vegetative State (VS), or state of Minimal Consciousness (SMC)
• People dependent on continuous non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation (24/7)
• People with severe or very severe dementia
• People with severe spinal cord injury C0/C5, with quadriplegia
• People with very severe motor impairment due to neurological or muscular pathology
• People with severe sensory deprivation involving complete or near-complete loss of sight or a residual visual acuity not exceeding 1/20 in both eyes or in the better eye
• People with very severe behavioural disability within the autistic spectrum
• People diagnosed with Severe or Profound Mental Retardation
• Any other condition of continuous vital dependence that requires continuous and monitored assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for complex needs arising from severe psycho-physical conditions.

INPS specifies that it considers a “person with very serious disability” to be someone who needs assistance continuously 24 hours a day, also from multiple people simultaneously, whose interruption, even for a very short period, could lead to serious or fatal complications.

3) Universal Benefit for the Elderly: How to Apply

The application must be submitted online to INPS through the page “Decreto Anziani – Prestazione Universale”  (Elderly Decree – Universal Benefit):

• Personally, with your digital identity credentials
• Through CAF (Authorized Tax Assistance Centres) and Patronati (Welfare and Social Security Institutes).

If you are interested in this topic and want to know more, write to info@fiatlux.legal: our experts will be happy to offer you the necessary assistance to achieve your goals.