The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (hereinafter the “MoLSA”) has presented a draft bill on further adjustments in the provision of caregiver allowance in relation to extraordinary measures during the epidemic. The proposed adjustment considers parents of children, who will be impacted by extraordinary measures for example due to imposed quarantine for children, closing-down of school facilities, or due to pupils or teachers contracting the COVID-19. For these cases, it is necessary to prolong the current benefit – caregiver allowance – so that it would fully perform its function. The presence of a child at school may be prohibited for a period longer than the maximum number of days for payment of caregiver allowance. It is now only possible to draw down the benefit for 9 calendar days in most cases and 16 calendar days in case of a lone worker with permanent custody of at least one child aged under 16 years who has not completed compulsory schooling. The draft bill thus reacts to the situation when after the end of the 9/16 days of the period of support, parents had to look after their children without compensation of the loss of income, because many did not have the option of using leave from work anymore at that time and such a solution would not be suitable for this situation either.

Mainly the following measures are being proposed:

• Provision of caregiver allowance in the amount of 80 % of the daily base of assessment (currently 60 %)
• Setting up the minimum amount of caregiver allowance at CZK 400 per calendar day
• Prolongation of the support period of provision of the benefit for the entire time a school or its part is closed due to an extraordinary measure, or for the duration of imposed quarantine
• Enabling other persons with family relations to look after a child, despite not sharing the household with the child
• Provision of caregiver allowance to employees working based on a contract to perform work and a contract to complete a job as well
• Ensuring entitlement to caregiver allowance for employees entering a new job during the time that a school facility is closed as well
• Provision of caregiver allowance also in case a facility intended for persons dependent on the care of another person with first-degree dependence at least, is closed
• Not requiring a confirmation from the school facility about being closed, but substantiating a statutory declaration of the employee about the facility being closed.

With regard to the fact that this draft is still subject to the legislative process, we will inform you further about the current development, as soon as the legislative process is completed.