Crackdown on Fictitious Disabilities Files Saves Big Money
KUWAIT CITY, June 1: Acting Director of the Public Authority for Disabled Affairs (PADA) Wafaa Al-Mahanna revealed that the decision of the authority to suspend the files of persons with disabilities whose data have not been updated led to savings of KD166,445 per month or KD1.998 million per year, reports Al-Jarida daily. Al-Mahanna told the daily that the total number of these cases reached 826 -- 183 of which reported to the authority.
He gave a breakdown of these cases as follows: three died in 2017, 2022 and 2025 respectively; 18 renewed their registration; 40 had appointments; 46 appeared before the committees but their renewal requests were denied; 25 renewed their registration with reduction in the severity of their disability -- from severe to moderate or from moderate to mild; 51 renewed their registration with the same degree of disability; and 643 neither reported to the authority nor responded to repeated calls to update their data and documents and re-submit them to the relevant medical committees.
She confirmed that these individuals were given a 60- day grace period to respond and update their information, but they did not do so. She said the authority ensured that they were notified on the need to review their cases through various means like SMS messages, Sahel application or WhatsApp. 'After exhausting all available means, the authority was forced to suspend their files pending review and update,' she added. She revealed the financial impact of the suspension was as follows: 201 learning disability cases received a total of KD37,185,000 monthly or KD446,220,000 annually; 96 minor disability cases received KD17,760,000 monthly or KD213,120,000 annually; and 11 moderate disability cases received KD2,475,000 monthly or KD29,700,000 annually.
On moderate disability cases receiving household worker and driver allowances; 277 cases got a total of KD27,700 monthly or KD332,400 annually; 114 moderate disability cases receiving personal, household worker and driver allowances got KD37,050 or KD444,600 annually; three severe disability cases receiving personal allowance got KD825 monthly or KD9,900 annually; 57 other severe disability cases receiving a household worker allowance got KD8,550 monthly or KD102,600 annually; 41 severe disability cases receiving personal, driver and household allowances got KD17,424 monthly or KD209,100 annually; five severe disability cases receiving household and disabled care allowances got KD2,250 monthly or KD27,000 annually; and 21 cases receiving personal, household, driver and disabled care allowances got KD15,225 monthly or KD182,700 annually.
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