Care budget for people with high care needs
If you have high care needs, you may be eligible for a care budget. This is a monthly allowance of €140 to help cover non-medical costs, such as support services or a payment for your informal carer.
What is this care budget?
The care budget for people with high care needs amounts to €140 per month.
You can use this care budget for any non-medical costs, such as paying for a cleaner, family care services, or an allowance for your informal carer.
The care budget for people with high care needs is tax-free and you are free to spend it as you wish.
In addition to this care budget, in most cities and municipalities you can also apply for a municipal informal carer’s allowance. The conditions and amounts vary widely from one municipality to another. If you want to know whether and how your municipality offers an informal carer’s allowance, it’s best to contact them directly.
Who is entitled to the care budget?
Both people living in a residential care setting (a care home or a psychiatric nursing home) and those living at home can apply for this care budget.
Not sure whether you’re eligible? Our social workers will be happy to check for you.
Why a care budget?
Lieve receives a care budget for people with high care needs each month via the Flemish Social Protection. In this testimonial, she explains the difference it makes.
(This video is in Dutch.)
Receive notifications
Would you like to receive a text message or email each time your care budget is paid? Activate this notification via My Helan.
Apply for the care budget
You live at home: download the care budget for people with high care needs form and complete it.
Send the application form to Helan. You can do this:
- online for the fastest processing
- by post to Helan Health Insurance, Boomsesteenweg 5, 2610 Wilrijk
- or in a Helan letterbox near you
Once you have submitted your application, Helan will take it from there. You don’t need to do anything else. Within 5 days of receiving your application, Helan will check whether you have the required certificate and meet the administrative conditions to qualify for the care budget.
- If you do not have the necessary certificates, our social workers will arrange a home visit. We will contact you within 45 days of receiving your application. During the visit, we assess your care needs and daily challenges.
If your application is approved, you will receive your first payment in the fourth month after your application.
If you do not agree with the decision, you can appeal to the Agency for Flemish Social Protection. You can find out how to do this on the website of the Flemish Social Protection.
Good to know
By law, no care budget can be paid during the first 3 months after your application. If your application is approved, you will receive your first payment at the end of the fourth month. In the payment calendar below, you can see the exact date on which you will receive your monthly payment from then on.
Payment calendar
The date on which your care budget is paid depends on where you live: at home or in a residential care setting. The care budget is always paid around the 25th of the month. Would you like to receive a notification each time your care budget is paid? Subscribe to notifications by text message or email via My Helan.
Practical questions and answers
The care fund will assess this for you. If you already have a certificate, your application can be decided immediately. The following certificates are accepted:
- At least a level B or C lump sum within the framework of home nursing care
- Palliative care lump sum
- At least 15 points on the medical-social scale for an integration allowance or income replacement allowance
- At least 18 points on the medical-social scale for increased child benefit / the care supplement for children with specific support needs
- Vesta certificate from the Home Care service
In most cases, however, these certificates are not available and your care needs are assessed through an evaluation process. A social worker will arrange an appointment with you and, based on a questionnaire and observation, determine your level of care needs.
In Brussels, joining a care fund is voluntary. If you have always been affiliated with a care fund, you can submit an application for a care budget without any problem. If you are not affiliated, this is not possible.
As a Brussels resident, you can still join a care fund at a later stage. However, there is a waiting period of 5 years before you can apply for the care budget for people with high care needs.
In most cases, a copy of your most recent decision letter is sufficient. If you need a specific certificate, we can prepare this for you. Simply request it via our contact form.
Unfortunately, this is not possible: the care budget for people with high care needs is a fixed amount of €135.
The decision letter states that you can request a review, but this does not apply in this case. By law, this information must be included in all approval letters.
Are you over 66? In that case, you can apply for a care budget for older people with care needs, or request a review of that care budget.
Does a partner, family member or neighbour help you with your administration? Or do you have care needs and does an informal carer take care of everything for you? Make sure to register a contact person in your file, so we can easily reach them if we have any questions.
