Georgia’s Deputy Minister of Health, Giorgi Tsagareishvili, says the government has begun rechecking households registered in the social assistance program, with initial findings revealing that some high-income families are also receiving benefits.
Speaking to BMG, Tsagareishvili said the final number of households that will be removed from the program is still unclear, as the verification process is ongoing.
“Due to COVID and other circumstances, large-scale verification of households registered in the unified database of socially vulnerable families was not possible. Among them, some were receiving relatively high incomes when considering household size and other factors. This was also, in a way, a political decision,” he said.
According to him, thousands of households have already been reviewed, and preliminary findings suggest that some beneficiaries do not meet the eligibility criteria.
“One thing I can say for sure, based on information from colleagues, is that many high-income families have been identified. Naturally, they cannot remain in the program going forward,” Tsagareishvili added.
He noted that a mid-term report may be prepared in the coming months, while the full results of the nationwide reassessment are expected by the end of the year.
The Ministry of Health announced the reassessment process in February. Under current rules, households where per capita monthly income exceeds 1,250 GEL lose eligibility for social assistance.
