Every year, 10 billion euros in social aid are not claimed by their beneficiaries. The disabled child education allowance (AEEH) is an aid intended for parents who take on the responsibility of a child with a disability and which is relatively unknown in France. It aims to compensate for the costs related to the handicap and to promote the autonomy of the child. The basic amount of the AEEH is 142.70 euros per month, to which various supplements can still be added.
300,000 parents don’t ask for it
However, according to a study conducted by the MesAllocs site, 85% of potential beneficiaries of the AEEH do not ask for it. This represents more than 300,000 parents who therefore do not receive the amount that is due to them. Each year, hundreds of millions of euros could be provided to parents whose children are disabled, and who are not paid.
Several explanations are evoked and justify that the families do not claim the AEEH. First, there is a lack of awareness of the existence of this aid – or of the conditions for claiming it. Indeed, to benefit from the AEEH, the child must be under 20 years old and have a disability rate of at least 80% (or between 50% and 80% if he attends a specialized establishment or if he requires special care). You can find all the criteria on the CAF website.
To this, the complexity of the administrative procedures can be an obstacle for many parents. It is indeed necessary to fill out a file with the Departmental House of Disabled People (MDPH), provide a medical certificate and wait for the decision of the Commission for the Rights and Autonomy of Disabled People (CDAPH). The processing time may vary depending on the department, but it can sometimes be long. That said, the game is worth the candle since it is more than 1,500 euros in annual aid that they can claim.
Finally, some parents may be reluctant to apply for the AEEH, out of pride, guilt or fear of the gaze of others. They may also fear that this aid will be deducted from other social benefits or that it involves a tax audit. They thus tend to isolate themselves out of embarrassment, whereas they largely deserve this help.
Unrecognized social assistance
While the vast majority of parents of children with disabilities do not apply for this social allowance, the Family Allowance Fund is currently working on a reform which should see the light of day in 2024 and facilitate the procedure for obtaining this aid. It should allow parents to receive a pre-filled form directly, on the same principle as tax declarations, to speed up the file to receive the AEEH.
If the percentage of people eligible for the AEEH who do not apply for this aid is high, other social allowances suffer the same fate. This is particularly the case of the RSA, the active solidarity income, which is nevertheless very well known and that 34% of eligible people do not claim.
