Child with disability status: social package and services: what to do under Georgian law

What to do

1. Classification: under 18, the category is “child with disability status”, with no adult degrees (Law of Georgia on Medical-Social Expertise (MSE Law), Art. 10). The conclusion is issued by the MSE bureau of a licensed medical facility (Instruction on the Procedure for Establishing “Child with Disability Status” (Child Instruction), Art. 1). Referral comes after treatment and rehabilitation, and only for the conditions listed in the Child Instruction. The decision turns on functional impairment, not on the name of the diagnosis (Child Instruction, Art. 6).
2. Procedure: application at the place of residence or treatment, on referral from the clinic (Child Instruction, Art. 2); the child's birth certificate (Child Instruction, Art. 4); assessment can take place at home or in an inpatient setting (Child Instruction, Art. 3). Status periods: 2 years, 5 years, or once until age 18 (Child Instruction, Art. 8). Record the date of the next assessment immediately.
3. Money: the bureau sends the extract from the certificate to the payment authority within 3 days (Child Instruction, Art. 11). The social package is applied for by a parent at the Social Service Agency (Rules on the Social Package, Art. 7). The social package for a child with status (general category) is GEL 470 per month (Amendment to the Rules on the Social Package, Art. 1). The amount applies from 1 January 2026 (same, Art. 2). Annual indexation is at least GEL 25 (Law of Georgia on Social Assistance, Art. 12²).
4. Services: rehabilitation and care are provided under the annual 2026 State Programme on Social Rehabilitation and Child Care, through vouchers of the Care Agency (Programme, Art. 9). Eligibility covers citizens of Georgia (and equivalent persons), unless a sub-programme provides otherwise (Programme, Art. 2). Early detection and support programmes for children with disabilities are provided under the Code on the Rights of the Child (Art. 28). At school, reasonable accommodation is available (Code on the Rights of the Child, Art. 7).
5. Refusal: application within 1 month to the bureau or the superior body, then court (Child Instruction, Art. 13).
6. At 18 the child category ends, so an adult MSE should be arranged in advance. Status “from childhood” applies if the limitation arose before 18 (MSE Law, Art. 16). From 18, a moderate degree “from childhood” gives a package of GEL 210 (Amendment to the Rules on the Social Package, Art. 1).
7. Where to apply: the MSE bureau of a licensed clinic; the Social Service Agency (social package); the Care Agency (services under the State Programme).
8. Evidence: specialist opinions, rehabilitation results, the clinic's referral.
9. Pitfalls: waiting for status based on the diagnosis name alone; missing the re-assessment date; reaching 18 without an adult MSE.

Be sure to check

• the child's status is established by the clinic's MSE bureau on a physician's referral; periods of 2 years, 5 years or until 18
• social package through the Social Service Agency and its amount
• rehabilitation services under the State Programme through the Care Agency
• appeal within 1 month, and transition to adult status at 18