The Grant-in-Aid is a social grant intended to assist people who require full time care. Adults who are unable to care for themselves because of either a disability or old age are able to receive assistance from the government. Not many citizens who are in need know about this social grant. In Mafefe, Limpopo, Samuel Sebapu says, “I heard rumours that if you are providing full time care for someone in the house, you can get extra money to help out in the house”. At the time he was on a Disability Grant and he followed up with the Mafefe Advice office which assisted him to apply for the Grant-in-Aid. His wife, Maria Sebapu has been providing him with full time care since his amputation in 2006. The Sebapu family started receiving the grant in 2013. Maria Sebapu says they have been receiving the grant for the past 3 years and says, “It’s not a lot but it has a made a great difference in our lives.”
The Grant-in-Aid is received in addition to a main social grant such as the Older Person’s Grant, Disability Grant or War Veteran’s Grant. The Grant-in-Aid is not paid out on its own.
The same requirements that apply to a main grant, apply to the Grant-in-Aid. You must also have a valid medical report which shows that you need full-time care. You can apply for the grant-in-aid at the same time as when you apply for the main grant.
Listen to Masesi Matseba, a paralegal from the Mafefe Advice Office as she talks to Mr and Mrs Sebapu about the value of the additional grant money provided by the Grant-in-Aid. Masesi is also on GL FM (89.9 FM) every Tuesday evening to discuss legal related matters.
Scroll below for the questions and answers from our in-studio discussion.
How much will you get?
You will get R330 per month. The grant will be paid together with your social grant.
Who is the grant paid to?
The grant is paid out to the person receiving the main grant, and not to their assistant.
How will you be paid?
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will pay the grant to you using various methods. The money can be paid out in cash on specific days at a Pay Point, or you can get the money paid electronically into your bank account.
What do you need in order to qualify?
- Be a South Africa citizen, or a permanent resident, or a refugee in respect of the Disability Grant.
- Be receiving an adult social grant.
- Require full-time care by another person due to a physical or mental disability.
- Not be cared for in a wholly funded state institution.
Who cannot get a grant?
Even if you are old enough, disabled, or a war veteran, you may still not get a grant.
A grant can be refused if you:
- Already get another social grant (except in the case of a Grant-in-Aid which is only given to a person if they are already receiving an Older Person’s Grant, Disability Grant or War Veteran’s Grant).
- Are a mineworker who receives money in terms of the Occupational Diseases in Mines and Works Act.
- Get money for permanent disablement from the COIDA
- Are kept and cared for in a wholly funded state institution (like a state-run nursing home, a hospital or a prison).
Does it matter if I have assets?
Yes there is an assets threshold.
- A single person should not have assets totalling more than R752 400;
- A married person’s joint assets with his/her spouse should not total more than R1, 504 800.
What if a have an income?
- A single person should not earn more than R44 880 per year; or R 3740 per month.
- A married person’s joint income with his/her spouse should not be more than R89 760 per year, or R7 480.00 per month.
A husband and wife can claim separate grants. If one of the spouses already receives an adult grant, then that grant must not be counted as income when you apply for a grant.
How long does it take?
- It will take about 30 working days for your application to be processed and checked and either approved or refused.
- When approved, you will start getting payments within three months. The payments will be backdated to the day you applied for the grant.
