The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has issued a warning to the public about fake messages circulating on social media concerning the medical referral form for the Grant-in-Aid (GIA).
Sassa distributes several different permanent grants aimed at assisting financially vulnerable people living in South Africa. Permanent grants distributed by Sassa include the Older Persons pension grant, Disability grant, War Veterans grant, Care Dependency grant, Foster Child grant, Child Support grant, Child Support grant Top-Up and Grant-in-aid.
The agency is urging the public to disregard these false messages about the Grant-in-Aid, stating that they have caused unnecessary confusion.
Please note that the text messages and voice notes circulating on social media are fake and misleading. The Agency is urging the public to refrain from circulating such information as it causes unnecessary confusion.
Sassa has also reminded the public that all official updates regarding social grants are communicated through accredited platforms and reiterated that its services are free.
Beneficiaries are advised that should there be changes or developments about any SASSA-related matter, such will be communicated on SASSA credited platforms.
Who Qualifies For The Grant-In-Aid
To be eligible for the Grant-in-Aid, an applicant must already be receiving either a Disability Grant or an Older Persons Grant. If a new application is made for an Older Persons Grant and the applicant requires full-time care, the GIA assessment should be conducted promptly.
The applicant must be unable to care for themselves due to a physical or mental disability and require full-time care from another person. Additionally, they must not be residing in an institution that receives a government subsidy.
If the GIA application is approved, the beneficiary will receive an additional R530 per month, which will be paid along with their existing social grant. Payments can be made through an electronic deposit into a bank or Postbank account or via an institution acting as the grant administrator, such as a welfare organization.
If an application for the GIA is unsuccessful, the applicant may submit a grant appeal within 90 days of receiving Sassa’s decision.
Sassa will inform the applicant in writing if the application is unsuccessful. If the applicant disagrees with the decision, they may appeal to the Minister of Social Development within 90 days of being notified of the outcome.
