AAH 2022: amount, what does deconjugalization mean?

[Mise à jour le 21 juillet 2022 à 09h41] After having been upgraded of +1.8% on April 1 2022, the Disabled Adult Allowance should increase by +4% during the summer of 2022. This is provided for in the purchasing power bill presented on July 7, 2022 by the government of Elisabeth Borne to deal with inflation. If this increase is validated during the examination of the bill in the National Assembly and then in the Senate, the allocation will increase to 956 euros. Thursday, July 21, 2022, the deputies of the National Assembly have already acted on the AAH deconjugalization. From now on, the spouse’s income will no longer be taken into account for the calculation of this benefit as of October 2023 at the latest, a measure demanded by the associations. More’1.2 million French people receive the AAH today. With demaritalization, 160,000 to 200,000 people should see their allowance increased by 300 euros on average, according to assessments carried out by the Department of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (DREES) but another 45,000 could have a reduced amount; still others might no longer perceive it. For those, a “transitional device” was adopted by the deputies allowing the current recipients (before the entry into force in the legal texts of deconjugalization) to keep the amount of this allowance until the expiry of the acquired rights. What are the conditions for obtaining ? With what other aids can it be combined? Can we collect it with retirement?

Definition: what is the Disabled Adult Allowance (AAH)?

The disabled adult allowance is an allowance paid for people with disabilities on low incomes which was created in 1975. She is assigned according to medical and social criteria. Currently, it is the second social minimum in number of recipients in France, behind the RSA.

What does deconjugalization mean?

Thursday, July 21, 2022, the deputies of the National Assembly recorded the AAH deconjugalization. But what does that mean? Concretely, deconjugalizing means “no longer take into account the income of the spouse or partner or cohabiting partner in the calculation of the allowance”. Deconjugation will take place from October 2023 at the latest. A measure demanded by associations for a long time.

What are the conditions to benefit from it?

• Have a degree of disability at least equal to 80% or between 50 and 79% but have a substantial and lasting restriction to access employment recognized by the CDAPH. The disability rate is determined by the CDAPH (Commission for the Rights and Autonomy of Persons with Disabilities) according to a guide-scale evaluating the impairments and incapacities of disabled people.
• Be at least 20 years oldor at least 16 years old if you are no longer dependent on your parents
• Not to receive an annuity or pension greater than or equal to 919.86 euros monthly (since April 1, 2022)
• Live in France
• If you are of European and foreign origin, you must have resided in France for more than 3 months. But beware, this restriction does not apply if you have a job.
• Your resources added to those of your spouse (married, PACS, cohabitant) must not exceed a certain ceiling : €11,038 if you live alone or €19,979 if you live as a couple. These amounts are increased by €5,520 per dependent child.
• The resources taken into account are all net income: Income (salaries, income from land and furniture, agricultural profits, etc.) minus charges (alimony, costs of care for the elderly, etc.) and tax allowances (person over 65, disabled person, etc.) ) N-2 (i.e. the year 2020 for requests made in 2022).

To find out if you are payable by the AAH, there is a simulator on the public service website

What is the amount of the AAH?

It varies according to your income. Thereby :

• You have no resources, you receive the maximum amount of the AAH either 919.86 euros (since April 1, 2022)
• You receive a pension or an annuity, you receive the difference between this sum and the 919.86 euros
• If you work, the amount is calculated based on your income.
• You have been hospitalized or housed in a specialized reception center for less than 60 days, you continue to receive 919.86 euros
• You have been hospitalized or housed in a specialized reception center for more than 60 days, the amount of the AAH is reduced to 30%, i.e. €271.08 per month. Unless you pay a flat rate of €20 per day, if you have at least one dependent child or ascendant or if the person with whom you live as a couple does not work, for a reason recognized by the CDAPH. At the end of your stay, you regain your full and entire rights, and will again receive 919.86 euros.
• You have been in jail for less than 60 days, you still collect €919.86. Beyond 60 days, the amount of the AAH is reduced by 30% and now goes to €271.08. However, the same restrictions apply as in the case of hospitalization for more than 60 days.

You need to get an application form for AAH from the departmental house for people with disabilities (MDPH) and return it to this organization by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt. All addresses on the website of the APF-France Handicap association. The Commission for the Rights and Autonomy of Persons with Disabilities (CDAPH) then meets to decide whether you will obtain it. The answer will reach you within approximately 4 months.

Duration of attribution: do we get the AAH for life?

The duration of the allocation of the AAH depends on your degree of incapacity:

• The rate is at least 80%:

– Your disability is permanent, the AAH is granted to you for life. This is the case for people whose activity limitations are not likely to improve, given the evidence of science.

– Your disability is temporarythat’s to say subject to improvementthe AAH is awarded for a minimum period of 1 year and a maximum of 10 years

• The rate is between 50 and 79%: the AAH is awarded for a period of 1 to 2 years. It can rise to 5 years if the disability and the difficulties in finding a job do not change during this period.

Can we collect the AAH on retirement?

Again, it all depends on your disability rating. Thereby :

– If it is at least 80%, you receive the AAH in whole or in part, in addition to the solidarity allowance for the elderly (Aspa). Provided that the amount received by Aspa is less than 919.86 euros.

– If it is between 50 and 79%, the Aspa replaces the AAH when you retire.

Can it be combined with other aids?

Yes, other aid can supplement the amount of the AAH. This is the case of :

• The increase for independent living: financial assistance to cover expenses related to the maintenance of a dwelling
• In part and in some cases, the invalid’s pension and the RSA
• Additional resources. Although this aid was abolished in 2019, if you received it before, you will continue to benefit from it, for a period of 10 years, on the condition that you still meet the conditions for allocation.
• On the other hand, it is not possible to combine the AAH and the specific solidarity allowance (ASS)unless you received these 2 allowances on December 31, 2016, in which case you can benefit from them for a maximum period of 10 years and provided that you meet the conditions for obtaining them.

Sources: Service-Public and the CAF.fr website