Double dependent child allowance for a child whose maintenance involves heavy expenditure by reason of a handicap

This administrative notice concerns officials and other staff who have a dependent child with a mental or physical handicap.

The conclusion approved by the Heads of Administration modifies Conclusion 177/87 of 3 December 1987 and sets out the circumstances in which the amount of the dependent child allowance may be doubled.

INTERNAL COMMISSION DIRECTIVE

At their 250th meeting, held on 5 December 2007, the Heads of Administration approved (revised) Conclusion 177/87 (see annex), which has been applicable within the Commission since 1 January 2008.

Claude Chêne

Annex

Luxembourg, 10 December 2007

(REVISED) CONCLUSION 177/87 ⁽¹⁾

APPROVED BY THE HEADS OF ADMINISTRATION
AT THEIR 250th MEETING ON 5 DECEMBER 2007

Article 67(3) of the Staff Regulations provides that the dependent child allowance may be doubled by special reasoned decision of the appointing authority based on medical documents establishing that the child concerned is suffering from a mental or physical handicap which involves the official in heavy expenditure.

The existence of "heavy expenditure" is established by the appointing authority on the basis of the opinion of the institution’s Medical Officer, who, in the light of the detailed opinion of the child’s physician⁽²⁾ , will have assessed the degree of handicap by reference to the European Assessment Schedule for Physical and Mental Impairments.

• If it is established on the basis of the Schedule that the child’s physical and/or mental handicap is equal to or greater than 50%, the dependent child allowance provided for in Article 2 of Annex VII to the Staff Regulations will be doubled automatically.
   
• If it is established that the child’s physical handicap is equal to or greater than 30% or that his or her mental handicap is equal to or greater than 20% but in either case is less than 50%, the doubling of the allowance will be granted where the total expenditure – i.e. all the specific costs stemming from the nature of the handicap and borne by the applicant – is greater than the amount of the dependent child allowance.

This Conclusion shall apply from 1 January 2008.

For the Heads of Administration

________________
Footnotes

⁽¹⁾ The revised conclusion was approved by the Heads of Administration at their 250th meeting on 5 December 2007.

⁽²⁾ The opinion must be given on the form entitled "medical certificate for the assessment of a handicap" drawn up by the Interinstitutional Medical Board and approved by the Heads of Administration on 19 April 2007.