|
The Care Dependency Grant from April 2011 is R1 140 a month. You can be paid a Care Dependency Grant if you are the parent, guardian or foster parent of a child under the age of 18 years who needs full-time care because of severe physical or mental disability.
How do I know if I am able to claim this grant on behalf of the child?You are eligible if:
You are a South African citizen or a permanent resident
You live in South Africa
You are the legally appointed guardian of the child, if you are not the parent
You have permission to look after the child (such as a court order), if you are not the parent
The child is under 18 years and lives with you
The child is not cared for permanently in a state institution
You have a medical report confirming proof of the child's disability and requirement for full-time and special care
You can provide the child with adequate accommodation and sufficient food and clothing, and make sure he or she receives necessary medical care and treatment
The child remains in your care and is not permanently looked after in a government hospital or treatment centre
You are not receiving any other kind of grant for the child (this does not include the foster care grant)
You, your spouse and the child meet the requirements of the Means Test (foster parents do not need to pass a Means Test)
If you are not the child’s biological parent (you are not the birth mother or father of the child), you will need to fill in information about your relationship to the child. You will need to explain that you are the legal guardian of the child, and that you have permission to look after the child. If the child’s parents have died or disappeared, you will need to write this on the application form, and provide proof of their deaths (death certificates) or disappearance (missing person police reports).
To be eligible for this grant, biological parents or primary caregivers must be South African citizens or permanent residents, while foster parents may either be South African citizens, permanent residents or refugees. They and the child must be living in South Africa. Refugees (who are not foster parents), foreigners with visas, asylum seekers and undocumented foreigners are not able to access the Care Dependency Grant on behalf of children in their care, however.
The child must be tested at the age of six years to find out whether he or she can attend a specialised school. The Care Dependency Grant is reviewed once a year and when the child reaches 18 years, he or she will then become eligible for a Disability Grant.
Note: The child will be referred by SASSA for a state medical officer’s assessment before an application can be made.
The Means Test
To meet the requirements of the Means Test, if you are a single parent you must not earn more than R11 400 per month (R136 800 per year) of if you are married your joint income must not exceed R22 800 per month (R273 600 per year). Any income that the child may receive must be less than R15 000 a year. Foster parents do not need to pass a Means Test.
Before you go to the SASSA office make sure that you have the following documents with you:
Your Identity Document (ID) book (with the 13-number bar code)*
The birth certificate or ID book of the child (with the 13-number bar code)*
The court order placing the child in your care, if you the child's foster parent(s)
Your refugee status permit and refugee ID, if you are refugee foster parents
If you not the child's parent, proof that you are the child’s primary caregiver
through an affidavit from a police casino online netherlands official, a social worker’s report,
an affidavit from the biological parent or a letter from the school
principal from the school attended by the child
A government hospital medical report for the child, explaining the child’s disability
Papers about your financial situation for the Means Test. You need to take bank account statements for the last three months, wage slips or pension documents. You also need to take proof of any income or assets belonging to the child. Foster parents do not need proof of income, but they must have the court order showing their foster status
If you are a single parent you need to take proof that the other parent cannot or will not help pay for the support of the child (Note: this does not apply to refugee foster parents)
Your UIF book or certificate, if you are unemployed or a discharge certificate from your previous employer
Proof of your marital status. If you are single, you need an affidavit to say that you are single; if you are married, you need your marriage certificate; if you are divorced, you need your divorce order; if you are a widow or widower, you need the death certificate of your partner *If you don’t have an ID or the child’s birth certificate, you must
provide the following:
An affidavit completed in a standard SASSA format in the presence of
a Commissioner of Oaths who is not a SASSA official
A sworn statement by a reputable person (e.g. councilor, traditional
leader, social worker, minister of religion) who knows the applicant
and child
Proof that you have applied for an ID and/or birth certificate at
the Department of Home Affairs
Temporary ID issued by the Department of Home Affairs, if applicable
Baptismal certificate, if available
'Road to health' clinic card, if available
School report, if available
If you do not have all of these papers, contact your social worker, local advice office or one of the NPOs in the AIDSbuzz Directory that help with Social Grants. You can also phone the Department of Social Development’s free hotline number 0800 601 011 or go to www.sassa.gov.za
Note: If you are too old or sick to travel to the office to apply, a family member or friend can apply on your behalf. The person should take a letter from you and/or a doctor's note saying why you cannot visit the office.
Steps to follow
Complete the application form in the presence of a
SASSA officer (note that only you as the applicant or a SASSA official
can complete the application form)
Submit the completed application form together with the necessary
documents
Obtain a receipt once your application has been submitted
Keep this receipt as proof of your application
What happens next?
The application should be processed within three months but sometimes takes longe
You will receive a letter telling you whether or not your
application has been successful
If your grant is approved, you will be paid from the day you applied
If the SASSA office does not approve your application, you will be
informed in writing as to reasons why your application was unsuccessful.
If you disagree with the decision, you need to lodge an appeal in
writing to the Minister of Social Development through the national
office of the Department of Social Development within 90 days of
receiving the letter
How the grant is paid
The grant is payable in one of the following ways:
Cash at a specific pay point on a particular day
Electronic deposit into your bank account (the bank may charge you
for the service)
Post office
institution acting as administrator of the grant (e.g. welfare organisations) Note: If you are unable to collect the money yourself, you
can appoint a procurator at the SASSA office, or give someone power of
attorney to collect the grant on your behalf. You can also change the way the money is paid at any stage by filling in a form at the SASSA office.
Grant reviews
SASSA can decide to review the child’s grant at any
stage. Your income, as declared when you applied for the grant, will
form the basis for this decision. You will be notified three months in
advance of the date the review will take place, or the date on which the
life certificate is due. If you receive your money through the bank, an
institution or procurator, you are required to fill in a life
certificate for the child at the SASSA offices every year.
Do I need to renew the Care Dependency Grant?No. To check if you are still eligible for the grant, SASSA sends beneficiaries an annual registered letter asking them to provide up-to-date information about their current financial circumstances. However, if your financial circumstances improve before SASSA sends you this letter, you must let SASSA know. You must also inform SASSA of any other changes in your or the child's circumstances. Receiving a grant when a person is not eligible for one is a criminal offence.
Situations in which the grant can be suspended
The following may result in the suspension of the
child’s grant:
When the child's medical circumstances change
The outcome of a review
If you fail to co-operate when the child’s grant is reviewed
When you commit fraud or misrepresent the child
If there was a mistake when the child’s grant was approved
If the child is no longer in your care
Other financial supportOnce a grant has been approved, people who have not yet received any
money but are in desperate need of support can apply for temporary
assistance in the form of Social Relief of Distress (SRD). SRD is
normally issued as a food parcel but can also be a voucher or cash
payment. If any money has been paid, this amount will be deducted from the
grant money you eventually receive.
Beneficiaries of a Care Dependency Grant may also receive a Foster Child Grant but they may not also receive a Child Support Grant. O
When will the child’s grant lapse?
The grant will lapse when:
The child turns 18 (when he or she may become eligible for a
Disability Grant)
The child passes away
The child is admitted to a state institution for longer than six months
The child ceases to reside in South Africa
if the court order authorising a fostering relationship expires
If the identity documents of any refugee foster parents expire
If the child gets a different primary caregiver
when he or she is still under 18 years, the benefits to the previous
caregiver will stop and the new caregiver must then apply for the grant.
|
Social Grants 
