1. Purpose
One of the objectives of the FCSD is to meet the specific needs of people with DS or ID and their families that are not covered by any public service, through a range of essential activities aimed at promoting their development, well-being, and social inclusion.
The FCSD prepares and updates annually the catalogue of essential activities, which are assessed and guided by the technical teams as proposals to be included in the users’ Personal Care Plan (PCP).
These activities may be eligible for a fee reduction if their cost is considered an obstacle preventing a user or their family from benefiting from them. Any user may request a fee reduction for all essential activities.
Other FCSD activities not identified as essential are not eligible for a fee reduction:
- Aquatic therapy
- Natural environment
- Tourism Programme
2. Scope
All FCSD services provided to people with Down Syndrome or other intellectual disabilities residents of Catalonia, as well as to family members living in the same household, except for activities not identified as essential.
3. Responsibilities
- All staff: inform users about the fee reduction procedure.
- Administration Department: carry out the financial assessment of the applications received and inform the user of the fee reduction amount by email.
4. Procedure
A user or their legal representative may request a fee reduction for all essential activities included in their PCP.
A user or their legal representative may request a fee reduction for all essential activities included in their PCP. For this purpose, the user or legal representative must complete the Fee Reduction Form available on the FCSD website.
The Administration Department will contact the user to inform them of the resulting fee by email within a maximum period of 10 working days.
If the user or legal representative disagrees with the outcome of the application and wishes to submit an appeal, they must complete the appeals section of the questionnaire. These appeals will be specifically assessed by the Social Work Service, which will contact the family to notify them of the final resolution of the application.
Amount of the reduction
The reduction is calculated according to the household income, with a maximum reduction of 93%, except in cases where the household has no income at all; in such cases, the reduction may reach 100%.
Children under the care of a CRAE will receive a 50% fee reduction.
Assessment criteria
The approval of the fee reduction is subject to assessment based on criteria related to per capita income, meaning the result of dividing the household income by the number of household members.
For the calculation of household income, the same calculation criteria established by the Ministry of the Presidency in the Royal Decree regulating household income and asset thresholds, as well as the amounts established for scholarships and study grants, will be followed.
A fee reduction may be requested if, during the previous year, the income thresholds established annually by the Ministry of the Presidency for scholarships and study grants in general have not been exceeded.
The Administration Department will update these amounts annually according to the Royal Decree in force (Royal Decree establishing household income and asset thresholds and the amounts for scholarships and study grants):
- Single-member families: 13,236.00 euros.
- Two-member families: 22,594.00 euros.
- Three-member families: 30,668.00 euros.
- Four-member families: 36,421.00 euros.
- Five-member families: 40,708.00 euros.
- Six-member families: 43,945.00 euros.
- Seven-member families: 47,146.00 euros.
- Eight-member families: 50,333.00 euros.
Duration of aid and deadlines
Applications for fee reductions should preferably be submitted between 1 and 30 June each year, although they may be requested throughout the year if the family’s financial situation justifies it. They will remain valid until the end of the school year in which they were requested.
The deadline for resolving any appeal will be 15 July.
If the family’s socioeconomic situation changes, the applicant undertakes to inform the Foundation.
Requirements for maintaining the fee reduction
Beneficiaries of the fee reduction, in addition to meeting the above requirements, must commit to attending the activities and paying the agreed fee.
Failure to pay 2 instalments or 2 unjustified absences will result in the cancellation of the fee reduction.