Can a person apply for a disability grant and claim from UIF at the same time?

The long answer

Thank you for your email asking if a person can apply for a disability grant and claim from UIF at the same time.

It seems that you can claim UIF and apply for a disability grant at the same time, as the UIF says in an online information page that a person receiving a monthly State Social Pension (excluding a disability or maintenance grant – our emphasis ) may not receive UIF benefits.

But the UIF payment will be taken into account as income by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) when your domestic worker applies for a disability grant. Only if her income is below a certain amount (I think R6,510 a month is the latest figure), will she qualify for a grant, when her income is assessed in the means test.

The Black Sash says in their “Making Human Rights Real” booklet:

“Social insurance payments, however, are included as income in the means test. This could include, for example, monies obtained from the Unemployment Insurance Fund, the Road Accident Fund, Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Fund as well as pensions and provident funds.”

To qualify for the disability grant, which is a maximum of R1,780 per month from April 2019, she must be between the ages of 18 and 59, and be medically assessed as unable to work for at least six months. She could get a temporary or permanent disability grant of 6 months or 12 months, but SASSA can review a permanent grant regularly to assess whether she is still in fact disabled.

When she turns 60, she will no longer qualify for the disability grant, but can then apply for the state pension (the older person’s grant), which is also a means-tested grant.