The case in summary Jan-Egil Granfoss has been stranded in the Philippines for eleven years after he allegedly reported moving by mistake. Granfoss, his wife and son live in miserable conditions and do not have enough money to return home. After sending over 9,000 e-mails to the Norwegian authorities, Granfoss has given up and sees Tore Strømøy as the family’s last hope. Granfoss has been receiving disability benefits since he was 20 years old, and the benefits were greatly reduced because NAV registered him as a mover. Strømøy has decided to try to help the family, but the case is complicated. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. The trip, which was initially supposed to last a few months, has turned into eleven long years. Together with his son Jan-Sverre and his wife Sansi, Jan-Egil Granfoss now lives in miserable conditions on the outskirts of Cebu City in the Philippines. The family barely has enough money for food, and in any case not enough to go home. After sending over 9,000 e-mails to the Norwegian authorities, Granfoss has almost given up. Now he believes Tore Strømøy is the family’s very last hope. – It started when Jan-Egil started writing to me. He had seen all the episodes of “Tore på Sporet” and thought it was so nice to see someone helping others. We got talking and eventually it became clear that he and his family were in the Philippines against their will, and that they wanted to go home. The experienced news presenter decides to try and help. The money disappeared It was in 2012 that the Norwegian family traveled eastwards in the world. But after a few months the financial problems started. Jan-Egil Granfoss has been receiving disability benefits since he was 20 years old, and the benefits were greatly reduced because Nav quickly registered him as a mover. And with good reason. For the Norwegian signed a relocation notice. – We had to extend our trip by two months to wait for the wife to get a new visa. And then Nav asked me to fill in this form, says Granfoss. When asked about the duration of the journey, he wrote the following: Life out. But Granfoss himself now says that he did not understand what he signed, nor the meaning of the document. Here is an extract from the relocation notice that Granfoss has signed. Photo: Screenshot of the form After this, Nav removes several benefits, including child allowance. youth allowance and wife’s allowance. Large parts of the social security system are thus gone. Now the three live in poverty and their son Jan-Sverre has been taken out of school. – It is special to see that when a man on social security makes a mistake and tries to explain and correct it, there is no mercy from the Norwegian state. But when a top politician makes a mistake, it is enough to say that one did not know or understand, says Strømøy. He thought it would be a simple matter to get the family back to Norway. He was wrong there, as a brand new TV series shows at the beginning. Where is the error? – The big question in this case is where the fault lies. Is it his fault or ours? Can you blame a man who does not understand the system, when he reads and writes so poorly? Because Jan-Egil Granfoss’ history is complex. As a 3-year-old, the boy was handed over to child protection. He was exposed to both bullying, abuse and mistreatment growing up. He cared little for the school, and the school cared little for him. As a 20th birthday present, Granfoss was given a moped by his mother and stepfather, but just as adulthood was about to start in full, he crashed with a car. Granfoss suffered major injuries and ended up receiving disability benefits at a young age. Jan-Egil Granfoss and his wife Sansi. The hope is that they can soon move home to Norway. Photo: Jon Arne Hoff Johansen/news – We answer as best we can Tore Strømøy does not think the story of the Norwegian in the Philippines is unique. He believes, however, that many people encounter similar problems in the public sector. – If you are resource-poor, you struggle. There are many rules. And yes, you can say that these are the rules, but does that mean that it is right? But what does Nav say? Bjørn Lien is director of Nav Innlandet. He says they have repeatedly explained to Granfoss what has happened, and why the additions have been removed. – Nav does not have much contact with people who are on disability benefits, but when there are changes, such as a move, we are there and regulate the benefit the individual has. – Do you think the message from Nav has been good enough? – I don’t think I should venture into what Granfoss has understood and not. We understand, and we see very clearly, that Granfoss is struggling. That’s what the emails tell us. It does something to us at Nav. We answer as best we can. They have also sent repeated messages of concern to the Norwegian embassy in the Philippines, says Lien. In 2022 at the latest, Granfoss received this reply from the Norwegian embassy in Manila: “The embassy has no occasion to pay for plane tickets for Norwegian citizens who are staying abroad.” They write that they assist Norwegian citizens within the rules laid down by Norwegian law. Bjørn Lien is director of Nav Innlandet. Photo: Anne Kari Løberg / news About disability benefits In 2021, there were 373,669 people who received disability benefits in this country: 14% more than in 2015. Of these, just over 61,000 were partially disabled, while around 312,000 received 100 percent disability benefits. Disability insurance must compensate for lost income in the event of permanent work disability. Disability benefit is 66 per cent of the average for the income of the 3 best of the last 5 years before you became ill. Only income up to 6 times the national insurance basic amount (G) (NOK 668,862 in 2023) is included. This gives a maximum of NOK 441,448 in disability benefits at a 100 per cent degree of disability. Nav also set an income limit for everyone with disability benefits. If a disabled person receives an increase in salary and earns more than the income limit and the free amount of 0.4 G, the disability benefit is reduced regardless of whether the increased income is due to an increase in salary in the same position or more hours of work for the same salary. If a disabled person earns more than 80 per cent of the income he had before he became disabled, he shall not receive disability benefit that year, even if the disabled person retains his degree of disability. The average disability benefit in 2015 was NOK 296,500 before tax. In 2019, the disability benefit increased to 299,500, but in 2022 it decreased to 298,500 per person. Partially disabled people can also have partial income in addition to disability benefits. In 2019, disabled people had a total income after tax of NOK 285,200, according to Statistics Norway. Source: Statistics Norway, table 11856 and article on disability (2021) Proposal for the state budget for 2022 The government’s proposal for changes to the National Insurance Act 2021–2022Nav – Doors slamming in my face One of the reasons why this case has been so difficult for the seasoned presenter , is about a lack of access and help. – I have lived as Tore on Sporet for 25 years, and have experienced that people want to talk to me. That doors open. Now I have experienced the opposite, and doors slamming in my face when I explain who I work for. – It has been interesting to experience, says Strømøy. Tore Strømøy in the Philippines in connection with the recording of the series “No one loves Bamsegut.” Photo: Kjetil Nesgård/news
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Tore Strømøy’s most difficult series to date “No one loves Bamsegut” – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
