"We welcome the government's initiatives, but it is unreasonable that it takes so long to act against welfare crime, which is a major issue for personal assistance. The government has had every opportunity to act earlier to stop the theft of assistance funds and the dangers faced by individuals entitled to assistance due to unscrupulous actors and criminal individuals,"

says Hans Dahlgren, CEO Humana Assistans AB.

"It is deeply upsetting that taxpayers' money intended for welfare is instead fueling criminal activity. Both we and the industry as a whole have long demanded stronger action and put forward several concrete proposals-such as the ability to conduct background checks on employees, and for the Police and the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan) to share information with us so we can act against criminal activity. We have many more concrete proposals that we have shared with the government, relevant authorities, and in public debate over several years,"

adds Hans Dahlgren.

Proposed Measures from Humana and the Swedish Association of Private Care Providers (Vårdföretagarna), Among Others

• Improved oversight from authorities. Use existing tools more effectively. The powers of municipalities and the Health and Social Care Inspectorate (IVO) to conduct inspections and home visits are currently underutilized. Oversight efforts should more clearly target risks of criminal activity.
• A unified national responsibility for personal assistance. When parts of the personal assistance system are fragmented across municipalities, the risk of undetected welfare fraud increases. Existing proposals for national responsibility should be implemented without delay.
• Enhanced monitoring. Assistance decisions should be routinely followed up after a set period. It is important that this does not become a reassessment of already approved support for individuals whose needs have not changed-but rather an additional opportunity to detect irregularities.
• Better access to background checks. Criminal record checks are currently not permitted when hiring for elderly care or personal assistance involving adults. Moreover, the records do not show all relevant crimes, such as fraud. Access to the criminal suspicion register should also be considered.
• Improved cooperation and information sharing between authorities-and with service providers. The Social Insurance Agency knows each individual working as a personal assistant and exactly which hours they report having worked. The Police possess information about criminal activity. Better collaboration and data sharing between these entities would greatly increase the chances of identifying suspected fraud.
• Permit requirements for self-managed assistance. This refers to cases where a user is both the employer and the organizer of their own assistance. Introducing permit requirements would ensure all actors are held to the same standards and prevent unfair advantages for those operating outside the original intent of the law.

See Our Proposals That Could Radically Reduce Fraud - For Example (content in Swedish):

Låt inte gängkriminella stjäla assistansens pengar - Humana

Låt inte assistanspengar föda gäng och terror | Göteborgs-Posten

Humana: Så får vi bort fusket - och behåller valfriheten - Altinget