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Reform Support
Supporting Lithuania in reforming its disability assessment system

Supporting reforms to strengthen labour markets, social protection systems and migration management

Funding Programme
Structural Reform Support Programme (SRSP)
Year
2019

Supporting Lithuania in reforming its disability assessment system

This Commission supported the Lithuanian Ministry of Social Security and Labour to enhance its disability assessment procedures.

This was achieved by strengthening the assessment of the functional capacities of an individual with the disability determination status, which has historically only focused on health conditions.

Context

Lithuania is aiming to revise the legal and administrative framework for disability assessment, with the aim of launching a new system that is more effective at taking applicants’ functioning and environmental factors into account. The current system faces a number of challenges which generally stem from the poor linkages between (i) the disability assessment system and (ii) the system that determines work capacity. The development of a holistic disability assessment system will not only increase economic efficiency and effectiveness, but it will also serve to improve the wellbeing of those who suffer disability. This is of great importance in Lithuania, where people with disabilities make about 8.7% of its population.

Support delivered

The outcomes of the project have been:

  • a situational analysis of the current approaches, including evaluation of the assessment methods and instruments currently being used;
  • recommendations for improvements in business processes, including IT systems;
  • the design, implementation and assessment of a pilot (scheme/programme) to strengthen the assessment of functioning and the inclusion of its results into the/ it’s disability assessment algorithm.

Results achieved

The project produced a detailed proposal for a new disability assessment system, including methodological, administrative and IT improvements. The implementation of a pilot programme was then conducted, making use of the relevant data that had been gathered/conducted on how to further reform the disability assessment system in order to maximise disabled people’s wellbeing. Finally, the project offered capacity building activities for the Lithuanian authorities.