23 February 2023 at 10:59 Nav admits new EEA error Ever since 1994, Nav has misinterpreted the rules for family benefits for people living abroad. Now they are changing their practice and asking everyone who is affected to get in touch. Practice has changed for child benefit, cash support and benefits for single mothers or fathers. The background for the changes is a statement from the Efta court that transitional allowance for a single mother or father is a family benefit. – We ask those who think they may be affected by the changes to contact us. We do not have an overview of who this may apply to, and it will therefore be very difficult and time-consuming to look for them, says performance director Eve Vangsnes Bergli in Nav. Decision in the EFTA Court For child benefit and benefit to a single mother or father, the change in practice applies with effect from 1 January 1994. For cash support, the change applies from 1 August 1998, which is the month the benefit was introduced into Norwegian law. The EFTA Court says in its statement that transitional allowance is a family benefit, and that it is therefore covered by the EU’s social security regulation. Ever since 1994, Norway has assumed the opposite – that this is not covered by the regulation. – On the basis of the statement, we have reviewed and changed the practice for all benefits that are considered family benefits according to the EEA regulations, says Bergli. Applies to parents who live in other EEA countries NTB has contacted Nav and asked several questions about the matter. Among other things, about how many people they think are covered by the misinterpretation. and whether anyone has been punished for breaching Nav’s previous interpretation of the regulations. The changes at Nav mean, among other things, that parents who live with the child in another EEA country. may have an independent right to family benefits from Norway. – There should also no longer be a distinction between parents who have never lived together, and married, divorced, separated or previously cohabiting parents. The change means that even parents who have never lived together are entitled to family benefits from Norway if one of the parents is covered by the Norwegian social security scheme, writes Nav. Social security scandal The case has clear parallels to the so-called social security scandal, which broke in 2019. Then it was revealed that Nav had for a number of years misinterpreted and misapplied the EU’s social security regulation and, on flimsy grounds, Norwegians refused to take social security benefits to other member states of the EEA. After 2012, more than 80 people may have been wrongly convicted of social security fraud, 48 of these to unconditional prison terms. In addition, many thousands received incorrect claims from Nav for repayment of social security benefits. (NTB)
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Nav admits another EEA error – Latest news – news
