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Social Assistance Act, 2004 (Act No. 13 of 2004)

Regulations relating to the Application for and Payment of Social Assistance and the requirements or conditions in respect of eligibility for Social Assistance

Chapter 5 : Review of Social Grants

27. Powers of Agency to suspend, increase or decrease amount of social grant on review

 

(1) The Agency must, within 90 days of the date on which a social grant will be reviewed, inform the beneficiary in writing of the date of such review.

 

(2) The Agency must review the social grant –
(a) at any time where it has reason to believe that changes in the beneficiary's financial circumstances may have occurred;
(b) on expiry of the validity of the identity document of a beneficiary, if the beneficiary is a refugee; or
(c) in case of a foster child grant, on expiry of the court order.

 

(3) The Agency must, in writing request a beneficiary to submit a life certificate annually to prove that he or she is still alive: Provided that a beneficiary who receives a social grant personally from a service provider who utilises biometric identification does not need to submit a life certificate.

 

(4) If a beneficiary fails to provide the requested information or documentation contemplated in section 4(1)(b) of the SASSA Act, the Agency may within 30 days of notifying the beneficiary thereof in writing, suspend payment of the social grant, in which case the beneficiary must, by completing the relevant documents, apply within 90 days of the suspension for the restoration of such social grant.

 

(5) If an application is made for the restoration of a social grant contemplated in subregulation (4), the Agency may restore the social grant from the date on which the social grant was suspended.

 

(6) If a beneficiary applies for a social grant to be increased and the Agency is satisfied that it should be increased, the social grant must be increased with effect from the date of application for such increase.

 

(7)
(a) When a beneficiary informs the Agency of a change in financial circumstances and the social grant is to be decreased as a result of the change, the decrease will be effected from the first day of the month following the change in the beneficiary's financial circumstances.
(b) The beneficiary must be informed in writing of the decrease, the reasons therefor and of the 90 day period for application to review the decision to decrease his or her social grant.

 

(8)
(a) Where evidence exists that changes in the medical or financial circumstances of a permanently disabled person have or may have occurred, the review of the social grant may be done in accordance with subregulation 8(b).
(b) The Agency, may, at any time from the date of application for a disability grant, request the beneficiary to undergo an assessment in terms of regulation 3(a).