Assistance in special cases

In the Ministry of Social Welfare policy area, assistance in special cases (Act on an Active Social Policy, part 10) covers help to health care etc., one-time or relocation expenses, access arrangements, etc.

Under section 85 of the Act, assistance can be granted for expenses for health care, medicine, dental treatment or the like not covered by other legislation, if a person is financially incapable of payment the expenses. Assistance can only be grated, if the treatment is necessary and reasonable on health grounds.

Under sections 81 and 85 of the Act, assistance can be granted to one-time expenses and expenses for relocation. Assistance to one-time expenses can be granted for reasonable one-time expenses for a person who has experienced changed conditions, if said person’s own meeting of the expenses would significantly impair the person’s and the family’s possibilities for coping in the future. Assistance will normally only be granted, if expenses arose as a consequence of needs that could not be foreseen. Assistance to relocation can be granted, if the relocation will improve the applicant's or the family’s housing or job conditions. The assistance is conditional on the applicant or the spouse being financially unable to meet the expenses.

Under sections 83-84 of the Act, assistance can be granted for access arrangements with own children, etc.

Under section 83(1), assistance may be granted for expenses incurred in connection with access arrangements with children below the age of 18 who do not live with the applicant, if the applicant is financially unable to pay the expenses. Further, assistance can be granted for transport expenses related to access arrangements to applicants having custody of the children.

Under section 83(2), assistance may be granted for meeting travel expenses in cases where contacts are being forged to children taken outside Denmark without the consent of the parent having custody.

Under section 84, assistance can be granted to cover expenses of dependent children, when custody passes on the death of a custodian parent to people not having the duty to maintain the child.  Assistance is dependent upon the child’s income being insufficient to cover the cost of maintaining the child.

Expenditure for health care, etc., one-time expenses and relocation as well as assistance to access arrangements. etc., increased slightly until 2004, after which year a significant drop became apparent, reflecting the improved financial conditions and resulting fall in unemployment rates. The number of recipients remained fairly constant until 2004, after which year a similar, significant fall appears.

Public expenditure for health treatment, etc., one-time expenses and relocation and assistance to access arrangements, etc., 2001-2007, DKK million (at 2008 constant prices)

Source: Local government applications for reimbursement of expenditure

Number of people (in 1,000) who have during the year received assistance for health care, etc., one-time expenses and relocation and assistance to access arrangements, etc., 2001-2007

Source: Statistical News, Statistics Denmark, and 2006 data from Statistics Denmark.