Sweden’s Disability Support System and Benefit Eligibility Criteria

Abstract

In Sweden, individuals with disabilities obtain social security entitlements based on their employment and residential status. The Swedish disability support system consists mainly of social insurance, employment-related assistance, and social services. Disability determination is carried out in a comprehensive manner from the bio-psycho-social perspective, in line with the WHO’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). In Sweden, where no disability registration system is in place, individuals who wish to receive disability support have to first go through a needs assessment or an eligibility evaluation for the applied service. Social insurance benefits and employment-related disability benefits are determined based on insurance and medical assessments. Anyone medically determined as disabled should go through an additional evaluation to become eligible for such benefits. The decisive factor here is a “reduced work capability.” Social services for disabled persons, including law-regulated support and services (LSS), are the responsibilities of local governments, which may, to a point, exercise autonomy in delivering these services. Far from being monolithic and rigidly standardized, Swedish disability policies and the disability determination system, committed instead to the principle of tailored services, focus on providing support to each disabled person, with their needs evaluated through an interdisciplinary and professionalized approach involving various experts and stakeholders.