The Ministry of Health has launched a comprehensive re-verification of the social assistance database, Minister Mikheil Sarjveladze announced at a press conference. According to him, since the COVID-19 pandemic a moratorium had been in place, meaning that household checks were practically suspended. As a result, the database still includes families who no longer meet the criteria for state support and, in some cases, households with multiple vehicles or significant income.
Currently, more than 185,000 families receive financial assistance, while about 400,000 families are registered in the database overall. The minister noted that past delays in verification and expanded eligibility thresholds since 2012 allowed comparatively better-off families to retain benefits. In some cases, beneficiaries have recorded tens of thousands of lari in income, purchased expensive vehicles, or taken large bank loans - signs that they no longer require social assistance.
The ministry aims to ensure that only those who genuinely qualify remain in the system, aligning the database with the country’s economic progress and eliminating grounds for political speculation. The Social Service Agency will begin active re-checks in the coming months, prioritizing households with indicators suggesting they may no longer meet eligibility criteria — for example, families showing monthly income above 2,000 GEL over the past three months.
Sarjveladze emphasized that the process will be strict, lengthy, and closely monitored to prevent fraud. Alongside verification, the ministry plans to refine assessment methodologies and create mechanisms to remove financially capable families from the database. The public will be regularly informed about the progress of this large-scale review.
