Financing - Slovenia

Financing 

Under education legislation, children with SEN and/or their parents are entitled to a certain financial support. 

Children and youths with special needs must be offered free transportation to and from school, regardless of the distance between their place of residence and the basic school, if the latter is stated in their guidance order (Basic School Act, 2007, Article 56). Refunds of relevant costs are the responsibility of the local community.

Pupils with special needs and students attending short-term cycle education programmes are entitled to free school transportation and transportation during weekends. The amounts awarded are laid down in the ‘Rules for subsidising the transportation of pupils and students in short-cycle education programmes’, adopted by the Minister of Education. 

Children with special needs, whose guidance order contains the provision of additional professional assistance at a specialised institution, are entitled to refunds of the costs of transportation to the institution, where the support is being provided.

Transportation costs for children and youths with special needs, attending specialised institutions during the week and returning home for the weekend, are refunded by the Ministry of Education and Sport.

Children with SEN and/or their parents are also entitled to specific financial support under social-care legislation, i.e. the child-care supplement. The right to the latter expires upon the child’s 18th birthday. After that, this right is extended in cases of extended duration of education or if the duration of education has been extended as a result of significant changes in the child’s medical condition. However, this right expires when the pupil/student reaches the age of 26. (The rules on the criteria for the exploitation of rights of children, who require special care and supervision; adopted by the Minister for Social Affairs)

Another statutory right originating from employment, allowing one of the child’s parents to terminate their employment contract in order to enter half-time employment so as to ensure the child’s care and supervision. This right is also awarded to parents providing care and supervision to two or more children with a moderate, or severe mental disability, or a severe physical disability. In this case parents receive partial compensation for the income lost, which is proportional to their pay for half-time employment, and are exempt from the payment of costs for their pension and invalidity insurance. The costs, which are otherwise paid for by the employer, are covered by the state. (the Coordination of Transfers between the Individual and the Household in the Republic of Slovenia; 2006). However, parents may not implement this right if their child permanently resides in a specialised institution.

Parents of children with SEN are entitled to a special tax relief for the maintenance of a child requiring special care and supervision. This right is restricted for parents of a child who resides in a specialised institution. (Personal Income Tax Act; 2004).

The provision of medical-technical aids to children with SEN is ensured by the Health Insurance Institute. Technical aids are prescribed by an authorised medical doctor. The regulations of the insurance company specify, among other, which aids are provided to children, as well as support tools standards. When adjusting to more complex medical-technical tools that require an inter-disciplinary approach and the accustoming of parents and the child to the use of such tools, they are supported by the Institute of Rehabilitation of the Republic of Slovenia (e.g. complex wheel-chairs, communicators).