The social assessment of people with disabilities, carried out by the National Institute of Social Security (INSS), can be carried out remotely throughout the country, through videoconferencing, if it is in the beneficiary’s interest.
The measure, aiming at the remote modality for the social evaluation procedure required for the granting of the assistance benefit of continued provision to the disabled person (BPC), is provided for in the Ordinance No. 978published in Official Diary of the Union today (8).
According to the ordinance, the service will be made available on remote channels My INSS and Call Center 135, “allowing the citizen to choose the form of attendance, in person or remotely”.
The publication of the ordinance follows a decision expressed in June 2021 by the Federal Audit Court (TCU), in which it authorizes a request for a precautionary measure that determined, initially on a pilot basis, the remote modality for the social assessment procedure required for the granting of the benefit. assistance of continued provision to the person with disability. The measure was adopted amid suspicions of irregularities committed in the interruption of medical expertise under the responsibility of the INSS amid the restrictions imposed by the covid-19 pandemic.
The remote social assessment will be carried out on the premises of the INSS or partner entities, “it is up to the citizen to attend the indicated address, on the day and time of his appointment for the service”. Undue appointments, which are not related to the Assistance Benefit for Persons with Disabilities and which do not have a valid protocol number, may be canceled in advance by the units.
The ordinance says that it is up to the regional superintendencies to choose the units that will provide the Social Assessment of Persons with Disabilities – Remote assistance, “observing the capacity of each unit to perform the service”.
If there is a need to gather reports, opinions or other institutional or multi-professional documents to support the social assessment, it will be necessary for the beneficiary to present a consent form, as presented in the annex to the ordinance.
Documents and forms necessary for the process must be scanned and sent to the social service professional, via institutional email.
