The survey of the opinion of the management of Disability Adjudication Teams in Poland on the reform of adjudication on disability

Abstract Introduction. Adjudication of disability in Poland is carried out by independent institutions, operating within the framework of various judicial systems and on the basis of different legal regulations. In 2017, an inter-ministerial team was appointed whose task was to develop a coherent and modern system of adjudicating on disability and inability to work. Aim. The aim of the study was to obtain the opinion of the management of Disability Adjudication Boards in Poland whether there is a need to reform the certification of disability. Material and methods. The research questionnaire was sent to 294 boards. In total 66 responses were obtained, which is 23.5% of the invitations. Results. Over 65% of respondents indicate the need for reform, while 28.8% believe that the reform is unnecessary. The weaknesses of the current system include the inability to recruit appropriate doctors and specialists – 90.9%, insufficient financing of teams – 81.8% and staff shortages among full-time employees – 57.6%. Fewer respondents indicate unclear criteria for assessing disability – 47% and poor preparation of assessments – 21.2%. The strengths of the system are dominated by organizational factors: employee preparation – 77.3%, organizational stability of the system – 59.1% and locating teams in the local government structure – 51.5%. The following factors can be considered as substantive: stability of regulations – 39.4% and quality of jurisprudence – 34.8%. Conclusions. Majority of the respondents see the need for the reform of adjudication on disability. The greatest problems of disability adjudication boards in Poland are: difficulty in specialists’ recruitment and insufficient financing.