Behind the technical terms, a real social debate is taking place.
On Thursday, the review of the reform of the disabled adult allowance (AAH) turned into a political standoff in the National Assembly.
A bill to revise its calculation set the Palais Bourbon on fire.
Opposition deputies, from right to left, brandished red cards before leaving the Chamber with a crash to denounce the government's recourse to a “blocked vote”, thus extending the parliamentary route of this text.
An electric atmosphere that is reminiscent of the bronca after the rejection of the text on child bereavement leave in 2020.
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"The government and the majority are walking on the debris of democracy"
, was scandalized the Communist deputy André Chassaigne (Democratic and Republican Left) after the debates.
LR Marc Le Fur was also indignant:
“The AAH is not a charity, it is a duty of solidarity of our society (…).
You are making people hide their married life, or divorce, to keep their AAH.
It is unacceptable."
For several months, the debate on the "de-maritalization" of this aid has been raging.
Created in 1975, the disabled adult allowance (AAH) is a state aid paid to 1.2 million disabled adults unable to work, of which 270,000 are in couples, at a cost of 11 billion euros. euros per year.
Its amount is adjusted according to medical and social criteria to reach a maximum of 903.60 euros per month.
Today, the income of the spouse of the disabled person is taken into account in the calculation of the AAH.
In other words, a disabled person as a couple may see the amount of this assistance drop if their spouse earns more than 1020 euros net per month.
And, from 2270 euros net, the AAH can be canceled.
An
"injustice"
according to associations for the defense of the rights of people with disabilities.
“People with disabilities are thus placed in a situation of dependence on their spouse and prevented from having the right to personal resources,”
points out Pascale Ribes, president of APF France Handicap.
Having a spouse does not make the disability go away.
This amounts to denying its existence as an autonomous individual. ”
This situation of
“financial dependence”
is all the more problematic as women with disabilities are the most exposed to domestic violence
, she
adds.
"A sleight of hand"
On the government side, Secretary of State Sophie Cluzel believes that the de-maritalization of this allowance would go
"against national solidarity"
. For her, the AAH is a
"social minimum"
which must be articulated with family solidarity to help
"those who need it most"
and thus guarantee
"fair social justice"
. And to warn against opening a breach for the calculation of other allowances, such as the RSA.
In session, under the invectives, she finally judged that
"no computer system"
could implement this measure. The government has opted for another system described as
"more redistributive"
: a flat-rate allowance of 5,000 euros on the spouse's income which would favor the most precarious. This formula would result in an average increase of 110 euros net monthly for 120,000 beneficiary couples, according to the majority's calculations.
"A sleight of hand that buries the principle of deconjugalization"
, denounces Pascale Ribes.
