How to apply for targeted social assistance (database of socially vulnerable families): what to do under Georgian law

What to do

1. Entitlement: a family may claim the subsistence allowance, which is assistance for poor families identified by the assessment system (Law of Georgia on Social Assistance, Art. 7). “Poor” means below the threshold set by the government (same Law, Art. 4). The allowance amount is set by the government; the figures must be taken only from the decree currently in force (same Law, Art. 7).
2. Application: the form requires no documents and no fee (Order on the Registration Application Form for the Unified Database of Socially Vulnerable Families (Database Order), Art. 2). Any adult family member may file it, and a non-member may do so by power of attorney (same Order, Art. 3). It is submitted to the territorial centre of the Social Service Agency at the place of residence (same Order, Art. 4). A certificate with a number is issued (same Order, Art. 5).
3. Home assessment: the family undertakes to admit the agent between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. (Database Order, Art. 4). The agent fills in the declaration during the visit, which includes an inspection and an interview (Order on the Procedure for Assessing the Socio-Economic Condition of Socially Vulnerable Families (Assessment Procedure), Art. 3). Those who have been abroad for more than 3 months are not counted as members, among others (Assessment Procedure, Art. 7). Utility costs for 12 months are taken into account (Assessment Procedure, Art. 10). The score is calculated by a computer programme (Assessment Procedure, Art. 16). Data are cross-checked against the databases of the Revenue Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture and others (Methodology for Assessing the Socio-Economic Condition of Socially Vulnerable Families (Assessment Methodology), Art. 1). Risks: false information leads to annulment and a ban on re-applying for 3 years (Assessment Procedure, Art. 4). The assessment is terminated if the property or documents cannot be inspected, if the family is not at the address, or if the family has been artificially divided (Assessment Procedure, Art. 14).
4. Timing and decision: the decision is made within one month (General Administrative Code of Georgia (GAC), Art. 100). A refusal is issued in writing, with the grounds and the ways to correct the problem (Database Order, Art. 6). An appeal must be filed within one month of notification (GAC, Art. 180).
5. After registration: changes (address, composition, income) must be reported within one month (Database Order, Art. 4). A repeat assessment on application is possible one year after the declaration (Database Order, Art. 3).
6. Where to apply: the territorial centre of the Social Service Agency at the place of residence.
7. Evidence: identity documents of all family members; information on income, land, livestock and vehicles; utility bills.
8. Pitfalls: concealing income, a vehicle or a family member; not admitting the agent, or not being at the address; quoting the threshold or amount from memory, since the government changes them.

Be sure to check

• where and who applies: the territorial centre of the Social Service Agency at the place of residence; any adult family member; no documents or fee required to submit
• the agent's visit and the family's declaration; what is counted (income, property, utilities, state database data) and the consequences of false information
• the score is calculated by the programme under the government methodology; the allowance amount and threshold come from the decree in force
• decision deadline, written refusal and appeal; duty to report changes