Conditional Assistance for Workable Individuals: Bathoyan

"132,381 workable citizens are currently in the assistance system and do not receive any income other than benefits. We have developed a project that proposes to implement conditional assistance for workable individuals. If the project is approved, the assistance will be provided only on the condition of employment transition," wrote Zaruhi Batoyan, Armenia's Minister of Labor and Social Issues, on her Facebook page, explaining.

"As a result of assessing social needs, if it is determined that a person is needy and may qualify for assistance, a corresponding decision will be made for a period of six months. During the six months, efforts will be made with unemployed beneficiaries to find work, including going through training courses, psychological support, and social work coordination as necessary. After six months, if they do not transition to employment, their unemployed status will be changed, and the assessment score will be significantly reduced, transferring them to another social group, resulting in the cessation of their entitlement to assistance. However, if they transition to employment, they will retain their entitlement to assistance for another six months, and their income will not be taken into account.

In total, after a year of support, it is expected that the individual's situation will be stable and they will be able to independently take care of their issues, considering that a significant portion of intervention programs are designed for an average of one year of work. The condition will apply to all workable individuals who either apply anew to enter the system or wish to be reintegrated into the system."