Title: Individualising means-testing for adult disability allowance (AAH)

Country: FRANCE


Form(s) of actions:

Petition


Type(s) of actions 

Lobbying for a change in law


Summary:

This was a petition that called for a revision regarding the process for receiving the AAH (Allocation aux Adultes Handicapés), a social protection benefit for adults with disabilities. It sought to individualise the AAH benefit so that persons with disabilities would continue receiving it, regardless of their partner’s financial situation. It gathered more that 100,000 signatures.


Aim:

Petition for the individualisation of adult disability allowance (AAH). 


Main stakeholders:

Véronique Tixier (initiator of the petition)


Issues addressed:

The petition calls for a revision regarding the process for receiving the AAH (Allocation aux Adultes Handicapés), a social protection benefit for adults with disabilities. A legislative proposal had already been voted at the Assemblée nationale in February 2020 regarding this issue (first reading) but the situation had not evolved since. This petition demands to end the benefit being paid through a means-test calculated on the basis of the family’s (or couple’s) joint income. It is an interesting case because following the petition, the law was ultimately changed (though we need to further investigate the impact it had vs. political calculations). It is also the first petition addressed to the Senate that crossed the threshold of 100,000 signatures. More specifically, the issue described in the petition is the method of calculating the AAH (adult disability allowance). Before the legislative change in 2021, the process for calculating the disability allowance was based on household income (i.e. taking a partner’s income into account in the means test). This resulted in a situation where if the income threshold was attained by the household (i.e. if the partner earned over 19,607 EUR) the person with a right to disability allowance did not receive any of it.


Outcome:

It is interesting to note that some results have been obtained since the petitions were launched (but at this stage we have not been able to identify the role of the petitions in those changes). The AAH petition ultimately obtained more than 108,000 signatories. After reaching 100,000 signatories, the petition was examined by the Senate’s Conference of Presidents (composed of presidents of all political groups, presidents of permanent commissions and relevant special commissions). A rapporteur was designated who worked on the legislative proposal to effectuate the change demanded by the petitioners, which was then examined by the Conference of Presidents and added to the agenda of the Senate’s 9 March 2021 session, where it was adopted. After a political battle, it was also adopted by the Assemblée nationale on 20 July 2022.


Sustainability:

No specific information found about the long-term results of this action.


Link(s): https://petitions.senat.fr/initiatives/i-416

Data source: Internet

 


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