2016-07-19

Study acknowledges the effectiveness of the IF-BrA in ensuring social security rights to persons with disabilities

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The Índice de Funcionalidade Brasileiro (IF-BrA) [Brazilian Functional Index], a mechanism adopted by the Ministério do Trabalho e Previdência Social (MTPS) [Ministry of Labour and Social Security] to evaluate and grant retirement to people with disabilities, was acknowledged “as one of the most modern initiatives” in the world, in compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This conclusion was the result of the event “Assessment of Disability after the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - A Comparative Study of the Instruments Used to Enforce Social Security Rights in Brazil and Germany”.

The mission is sponsored by the European Union-Brazil Sector Dialogues Support Project, an initiative coordinated by the European Union Delegation to Brazil (DELBRA) and the Ministry of Planning, Development and Management (MP). The outcome of the research was presented by consultant Carla Sabariego, in June, at a technical meeting held by MTPS.

The study also highlighted the fact that the IF-BrA is an “excellent instrument to assess disabilities and a process that involves not only a medical expert, but also social workers”. Therefore, according to the report, “the Brazilian assessment method fully complies with many Convention criteria”.

However, the report suggests proposals to improve the current model, since the Federal Government project aims at developing a single assessment tool applicable to all public policies geared towards persons with disabilities. According to Bruna Beck, Technical Analyst for Social Policies at the MTPS, “the presentation of the work by the consultant raised interesting discussions on what the Brazilian government should adopt to improve its disability assessment model”.

In her opinion, the action aimed at “encouraging integration of the Social Security Department with the Secretaria de Promoção dos Direitos das Pessoas com Deficiência (SNPDPD) [Secretariat for the Promotion of Persons with Disabilities], a sector that centralizes information on the development and execution of public policies geared towards persons with disabilities within the scope of the federal government.

“The original intention of commissioning a reference study was to draw a comparison among the assessment instrument used in Brazil for the purposes of granting retirement to persons with disability, the Brazilian Functional Index (IF-BrA) and the tool used in Germany to ensure that social welfare is granted to persons with disability”, she adds.

The technicians from the area of Social Security and from the Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social (INSS) [National Social Security Institute], involved in developing a mechanism to assess disability for the purpose of granting retirement, participated in the technical meeting.

 

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