Indonesia’s Unconditional Cash Transfer for Persons with Disabilities

In 2015 Indonesia’s Ministry of health  surveyed a sample of 625,000 households and estimated a total of 8.56 per cent of the population are living with some form of disability.  In order to increase basic social services to persons with disabilities in Indonesia, the Government of Indonesia introduced the Jaminan Sosial Penyandang Cacat (JSPACA) cash transfer scheme in 2006. The JSPACA is managed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and aims to meet the basic needs of persons with disabilities, increase the number of firms that employ persons with disabilities and increase the number of social institutions that provide assistance to persons with disabilities.

The JSPACA is a non-contributory and unconditional cash transfer that targets persons with severe disabilities in order to provide support for meeting basic daily needs. Eligibility for the cash transfer is based on level of disability, which can be classified as either physical or mental; however, eligibility does not guarantee entitlement as the number of beneficiaries is determined by the availability of funds at the central level. Those selected are entitled to receive monthly payment of IDR 300,000, or USD20. In 2011 JSPACA reached 19,500 persons with severe disabilities. The Ministry of Social Affairs recognises that coverage is low and, in 2009, estimated that 163,232 persons were living with severe disabilities in Indonesia. In addition to the JSPACA cash transfer, the Ministry of Social Affairs provides a subsidy to homes for persons with disabilities and rehabilitation centres in the amount of IDR3,000, or USD0.20, daily, for each resident.

Indonesia's JSPACA unconditional cash transfer for persons with severe disabilities is supported by a strong legal framework that upholds the rights of persons with disabilities to basic income support, specifically through the 2006 Law on Social Welfare and the 1997 Law on Personas with Disabilities. While the cash transfer is non-contributory and unconditional, the level of coverage remains low and many persons with severe disabilities remain uncovered. Nonetheless, the JSPACA scheme makes a significant contribution toward the building of a national social protection floor in Indonesia that is responsive to the unique needs of persons with disabilities.

 

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