Thousands of people in Norway deprived of housing and electricity support due to holes in the system
In November, around 6,000 people were deprived of housing and electricity support because they were paid work assessment allowance three times. The reason? Their incomes became too high.
Because the NAV pays work assessment allowance (AAP) and unemployment benefits every 14 days, there can be three payments a month a couple to three times in the course of a year, Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) writes.
The consequence is that the total income in the months in question exceeds the limit for being granted housing benefits.
“The relationship between the housing allowance and the 14-day benefits from the NAV is one of the disadvantages that is unfortunately difficult to avoid in the short term,” Minister of Local Government Bjørn Arild Gram (SP) told NRK.
Norwegian parliament (Storting) representative Mímir Kristjánsson (Rødt) asked the government to immediately “fix this bizarre hole in the housing benefit and electricity support scheme they have created.”
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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