DECONJUGALISATION OF DISABILITY ADULT ALLOWANCE (AAH) IS ADOPTED

USPA NEWS - The French National Assembly voted on the night of July 20 to 21, 2022 the deconjugalization of the Disabled Adult Allowance (AAH), almost unanimously, (428 votes against only one vote), which is timely, in a context of social crisis with inflation reaching 6% in France, and a reduction in consumer purchasing power. Legislators have applauded President of the french National Assembly, Yael Braun-Pivet and themselves for putting accurate emphasis on a social value towards disability, as fa as their allowance is concerned if in couple. This will reset the accounts, seeing a law restoring a right that already existed before 2020, no big deal, in will transform the daily life of the disabled. This bill was highly expected and claimed by the French opposition (NUPES, RN, LR) and the Associations and NGOs of disability rights. he AAH created by the law of June 30, 1975 aims to ensure decent living conditions for people with disabilities. It is up to the Senate to examine this text, first in committee from July 25, then in public session on the 28th.

DECONJUGALISZATION LAW OF AAH IS VOTED AND ENABLE DISBAED IN COUPLE TO BENEFIT THE DISABILITY ADULT ALLOWANCE (AAH) ON 20 JULY 2022 The French National Assembly voted on the night of July 20 to 21, 2022 the deconjugalization of the Disabled Adult Allowance (AAH), almost unanimously, (428 votes against only one vote), which is timely, in a context of social crisis with inflation reaching 6% in France, and a reduction in consumer purchasing power. Legislators have applauded President of the french National Assembly, Yael Braun-Pivet and themselves for putting accurate emphasis on a social value towards disability, as fa as their allowance is concerned if in couple. This will reset the accounts, seeing a law restoring a right that already existed before 2020, no big deal, in will transform the daily life of the disabled. This bill was highly expected and claimed by the French opposition (NUPES, RN, LR) and the Associations and NGOs of disability rights. he AAH created by the law of June 30, 1975 aims to ensure decent living conditions for people with disabilities. It is up to the Senate to examine this text, first in committee from July 25, then in public session on the 28th. Deconjugalization means taking into account the resources of the spouse or PACS partner, of a disabled person (> 80% disability = AAH1, 50% to 80% disability = AAH2) which can cancel the benefit of the AAH. Thus, if the couple's income ceiling exceeds 19,607 €, in 2020, the AAH is no longer paid to the disabled spouse. This law, which was passed by the presidential majority (LREM) in 2019, and was called the Law "of shame" or the "price of love" by the Right who had voted against this law consisting in removing the AAH to people with disabilities, whose partner, spouse would have one of the resources.

Unfortunately for beneficiaries of this allowance, from October 1, 2023, the spouse's income would no longer be counted in the calculation of the allowance. The revaluation of the AAH was also voted. It now has more than 1.2 million beneficiaries, including 270,000 couples, for an annual expenditure of around €11 billion .
The spouse's income will no longer be taken into account for the calculation of this benefit from October 2023 at the latest, a measure that has long been demanded by opposition parties and associations. The AAH now has more than 1.2 million beneficiaries. » I believe that if there is a subject that deserves to vote together this evening, it is the one that will allow the deconjugalization of the AAH, "said Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Rally deputies, after a session stormy afternoon.

The Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt, of the Presidential majority, had declared two days before the side of the law, "I can tell you with all the usual reservations, that an agreement, in any case a convergence , seems to be taking shape between most of the groups that sit in the National Assembly so that an amendment can be presented and adopted with the support of the government”.

THE LONGEST NIGHT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF JULY 20-21 TO VOTE FOR THE DECONJUGALIZATION OF AAH On the night of Wednesday July 20 to Thursday July 21, the National Assembly voted unanimously (minus one vote) the deconjugalization of the disabled adult allowance (AAH), by adopting amendments, out of the 1041 amendments tabled by all the groups, after several refusals from the executive during the previous legislature. Of the 577 deputies, 429 were present during this very electric night session, which continued after only one voted against the deconjugalisarion of the AAH.Les revenus du conjoint ne seront plus pris en compte pour le calcul de cette prestation à compter d'octobre 2023 au plus tard. The AAH was created in 1975, and is intended to compensate for the inability to work of a recognized disabled person, > 50% or more. It is for a maximum amount of 904 euros per month (< poverty line in France) and is paid according to medical and social criteria. It now has more than 1.2 million beneficiaries, including 270,000 couples, who are concerned by this conjugalization, for an annual expenditure of around 11 billion euros. If 160,000 people will see their allowance increase by an average of 300 euros, around 45,000 people could be harmed in the event of "dry" deconjugalization. To compensate for this loss, a "transitional device" was adopted by the deputies. The deputies of NUPES, and RN ended up finding convergence with the presidential party "RENAISSANCE", although they did not agree at all on the deadlines for the application of the AAH deconjugalization law. The opposition asks that it be retroactive and the RN asks that it be applied from October 2023, while the Ecologists of NUPES assert that "October 2023 is too late", while the government argues that the Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt, promises "A technical working meeting", while the majority rapporteur Charlotte Parmentier-Lecocq, RENAISSANCE the presidential party explains that "Technical considerations require a period of implementation", claiming changes to computer systems, incompatible with the amendments which are "unrealistic". The deputies adopted amendments tabled by all the groups, after several refusals by the executive during the previous legislature. The spouse's income will no longer be taken into account for the calculation of this benefit from October 2023 at the latest.

"We are living in a historic moment," said Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt. "If this strong symbol of the start of the five-year term was desired and expected by all the players in the world of disability, we note the political unity that was expressed on this occasion", reacted Matthieu Annereau, president of the APHPP. (Association for taking disability into account in public and private policies), which says it is "more than ever convinced that the subject of disability is unifying and involves the whole of society".

The only deputy who voted against the law of deconjugalization, of the Horizons group (Partide former PM Edouard Philippe, Right) of Charente Thomas Mesnier, spokesperson for the party of Edouard Philippe, voted against and explains it at length on Twitter: "The AAH is a social benefit. Deconjugalization is an attack on our principles of solidarity", fearing that this principle will open the door for other benefits. He nevertheless says he is "in favor of a global overhaul of the AAH system" which "deserves a debate and a dedicated law" and not an "amendment written in a few days, voted on overnight, in a text dedicated to something else".
Olivier Dussopt recognizes that “the government has evolved over the past few months. It is both the fruit of an electoral campaign and of debates, the consideration by the President of messages”.

THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF APPLICATION OF OCTOBER 2023 IS DEBATE BETWEEN THE OPPOSITION AND GOVERNMENT The date of entry into force has been the subject of debate, the associations demanding this individualization from January 1, 2023. On the side of the opposition, the Ecoogists and LFi are angry, and explain that "October 2023, c It's too late," the Ecologists objected to the deadline. Thus, Julien Bayou, the EELV deputy of the NUPES group, insisted that "These 438 days are an insult to the talent of our administration" But Olivier Dussopt wishes to specify that the government had initially proposed the date of January 1, 2024, which " seems more prudent. "There are a number of very technical difficulties to overcome." It will be up to the Senators to enable faster implementation."

160,000 AAH BENEFICIARIES ARE CONCERNED BY DECONJUGALIZATION
Once adopted, deconjugalization “will benefit 160,000 AAH beneficiaries”. They will have “an average increase of 300 euros”. Deconjugalization will cost "more than 400 million euros" and the measure for the losers "160 million", further specifies the former Minister of Public Accounts, i.e. a "total cost of 560 million euros" for public finances.
Indeed, the AAH now has more than 1.2 million beneficiaries, including 270,000 couples, for an annual expenditure of approximately 11 billion euros. If 160,000 people will see their allowance increase by 300 euros on average, around 45,000 people could be harmed in the event of “dry” deconjugalization (article in link below). To compensate for this loss, a "transitional device" was adopted by the deputies. Another collective of associations in the field of disability assures that it will be "vigilant that the latter is based on mechanisms that create no loser, in particular for people who have to renew their AAH rights regularly".

THE DECONJUGALIZATION VOTE IS CONSIDERED A HISTORIC MOMENT, IT IS JUST EVEN FOR THE DISABLED BENEFICIARIES OF AAH PM Elisabeth Borne proposed to take the opportunity to deepen the mechanisms of the AAH within the framework of deconjugalisation. had announced "My government will reform with you, with the associations, the allowance for disabled adults", thus declared the Prime Minister after an hour of speech at the perch. A sentence that did not fail to react on the benches of the National Assembly. “An in-depth reform. We will start from the principle of deconjugalization, ”she added. This moment judged historic for the MPs does not correspond at all with a historical law but simply a reestablishment of an injustice, because as a reminder, the disabled adult allowance has currently been combined since 2020 (Taking into account the income of the spouse of the person disabled person entailing the abolition of the payment of the AAH). Previously, she was not. And then, at the end of 2021, it was the deputies La République en Marche (LREM, presidential Majority back then) – today Renaissance – had rejected the deconjugalization of the AAH, a measure proposed by opposition parliamentarians.