Bulgaria to Tighten Control on Disability Pension Certificates

Bulgaria's Labor Minister Ivaylo Kalfin has come up with new proposals to amend the pension system, including measures to curb the unjustified allocation of disability pensions.

These include changes to the structure of the National Expert Doctors' Commission (NELK) and its local units in particular, commonly known as TELK.

TELKs are in charge of granting disability status to people and have often come under fire for allegedly issuing fake certificates to people who do not suffer from impairments.

In Kalfin's words, expert panels granting disability status should be expanded, with TELKs including doctors who are "external" to the bodies in return for extra payment.

Over the past years the number of people receiving disability support pensions has been on the rise, with some sources putting the number of people receiving such benefits between 500 000 and a million (of a population of 7.2 million).

Kalfin told private national NOVA TV station on Saturday that TELK employees are not motivated enough, overburdened at work and ill-paid.

Another likely measure he mentioned is the introduction of mandatory retirement, a move that would grant employers the right to refuse a worker to retain his position after reaching retirement age.

Under current rules employees are allowed to remain at work even without the consent of their employer. 

Proposals will be prepared by a working group including various institutions by April 16, Kalfin stressed on Saturday.

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