The Flemish Social Protection (VSB) agency last year distributed nearly 370,000 allowances to people in need of care in Flanders, according to its latest annual report.
Most of these allowances went to severely dependent persons.
Over 276,000 individuals requiring significant health care support received €140 per month; another 85,500 people aged 65 and older received up to €710 per month, while 7,000 persons with mental or physical disabilities received a basic support allowance of €300 per month.
In total, about 300,000 people received at least one care allowance, with some qualifying for multiple ones.
The VSB also spent €80 million to help over 100,000 individuals purchase or rent mobility aids such as (electric) wheelchairs or walking and standing aids.
Altogether, Flemish Social Protection spent over €3.6 billion in 2023. Most of it – €2.5 billion – was used to finance care homes and other elderly care facilities.
Flemish Social Protection supplements federal social security and is partly financed by a care premium that every resident of Flanders aged 25 and above pays annually to their health insurance fund. Persons living in Brussels can also elect to pay the premium, in which case they can ultimately be eligible for VSB benefits.
In 2024, the premium is €62, or €31 for low-income contributors.
