Latvia needs a comprehensive overhaul of its disability system, Welfare Minister Reinis Uzulnieks (Union of Greens and Farmers) said in an interview on the morning programme Rīta panorāma on Latvian Television.
The minister said he welcomes the recent audit carried out by the State Audit Office of Latvia, adding that the Ministry of Welfare has already begun implementing some of the recommendations. According to Uzulnieks, the disability system as a whole needs to be reviewed, which would require upfront financial investment but could lead to savings in the longer term. He estimated that the initial cost of such reforms would be around €50 million.
If he remains in office after the upcoming Saeima elections, Uzulnieks promised that reforming the disability system would be one of his key priorities.
Asked about guardianship courts (bāriņtiesas), the minister said improvements are clearly needed, but that complete abolition should not be discussed. Work on reforms in this area will be carried out together with the Ombudsman’s Office.
As previously reported, the State Audit Office has concluded that no single institution in Latvia comprehensively assesses the health, social, mobility and everyday functioning needs of people with disabilities. As a result, access to support largely depends on the individual’s or their relatives’ knowledge and ability to navigate a fragmented system.
In 2024, Latvia had more than 221,000 people with disabilities, representing an increase of over 15% since 2018.
That year, the state allocated at least €1.039 billion — 6.4% of total state budget expenditure — for disability assessment and support, while municipalities contributed an additional €20 million. A significant share of this funding goes towards pensions and benefits, while a much smaller portion is directed at services that help people cope with everyday challenges, such as care, transport, rehabilitation and housing adaptation.
The audit also found that disability assessments generally comply with legal requirements, but the process is inefficient. For example, referrals for assessment are still prepared on paper, and will only be available through the e-health system in 2029. At the same time, the State Medical Commission for the Assessment of Health Condition and Working Ability (VDEĀVK) does not have access to data held by other institutions on examinations, technical aids, care or rehabilitation received, placing a significant administrative burden on family doctors.
The State Audit Office further noted that disability determination in Latvia continues to be dominated by a medical approach, while the transition to an assessment based on functioning and activity limitations in line with World Health Organization classifications has been significantly delayed and is now planned only for 2030.
Auditors also highlighted capacity problems at VDEĀVK: around 60% of experts work above the optimal workload,
and decisions are not always made on time. The situation is further worsened by the commission’s responsibility to extend sickness certificates beyond 26 weeks — a task that essentially belongs to the healthcare sector. According to auditors, transferring this function to the health sector could reduce decision delays by up to 46%.
The audit stresses the need to review both staffing levels and the range of tasks assigned to VDEĀVK to ensure sustainable and timely disability assessments.
At the system level, support for people with disabilities is described as fragmented and unequal, especially at the municipal level, where the availability and scope of services vary significantly depending on place of residence. Although a minimum basket of social services was set out in law in December 2024 and must be fully implemented by 2029, in 2025 municipalities provide only two of the seven services that should be available to people with functional impairments. For example, group home or supported apartment services for people with mental disabilities are currently available in just 38 municipalities.
Care support was identified as a particularly serious problem
— it is fragmented, insufficient and difficult to administer, with individual needs covered through multiple instruments, none of which are adequate on their own. According to the State Audit Office, 63.6% of children and 83.2% of adults with very severe functional impairments who receive the state care allowance do not use municipal care services. At the same time, the allowance does not even cover average service costs, which exceed the benefit by at least €220.
The Ministry of Welfare currently plans to address this mainly by increasing the state care allowance from 2030. Auditors argue this will not significantly improve the situation, as many people will still lack access to care services in the required volume. Instead, they stress that funding earmarked for benefit increases should primarily be invested directly in care services themselves.
The audit also points to shortcomings in transport support, which is fragmented and poorly targeted. The state transport compensation benefit of €105 per half-year covers only a small portion of real mobility costs, while vehicle adaptation services are too narrowly defined, focusing mainly on cases where the person drives themselves. In addition, the procedure for obtaining disability parking cards is not user-friendly, as the cards are issued by the Road Traffic Safety Directorate, even though the necessary information is already held by VDEĀVK.
Overall, the findings underline the need for a fundamental, better-coordinated reform of Latvia’s disability system, backed by targeted investment and a stronger focus on people’s actual needs rather than formal criteria.
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