Elisabeth Degryse has stated that despite the existence of automatic tools to grant status, the current system falls short. “At the security level of Belgian society, we have a lot of information about the population. We work with Banque-Carrefour and INAMI to collect data, but it is not enough,” she said. Mutuals are advocating for a change in legislation to access more information and ensure that more people are granted automatic rights. “Many people are entitled to this status but are unaware of it. Either they are poorly informed, or the procedures are very long and cumbersome administratively speaking,” she added.
While tools are in place to grant this status automatically, in fact, “we are far from the mark“, insisted Elisabeth Degryse.
“At the security levelBelgian society, we have a whole series of information concerning the population. We work with the Banque-Carrefour and with the INAMI to a proactive flow to be able to have a series of data, but it is estimated that this is not enough“, she adds. For this reason, the mutuals would like a legislative amendment which would give them access to more information to allow them to open more rights automatically.
“Because that’s why many people today are entitled to this status but don’t know it. either they are poorly informed, or the procedures are very long and verys cumbersome administratively speaking.“
In conclusion, while Belgium has made progress towards granting automatic social rights status, there is still much room for improvement. Mutuals are calling for legislative changes to expand their access to information and make the process smoother and more transparent for citizens who may be entitled to these rights without even realizing it. As Elisabeth Degryse points out, we have a wealth of data at our fingertips, but it is not being utilized to its full potential. By working towards a more proactive and efficient system, we can ensure that everyone is able to access the social benefits they are entitled to.