The long-term care allowance in Austria serves as a key pillar of the national long-term care system and aims to support care dependent individuals in covering care-related costs. Considering that the long-term care allowance is a universal and well-established benefit, it is rarely questioned whether those in need of care do, in fact, make use of it. However, a recent study conducted by the project team (Pennerstorfer & Österle, 2023) identified regional inequalities in the take-up of the long-term care allowance.

These variations might be attributable to 1) the varying health status of residents and consequently varying care needs, 2) differences in (not) applying for the benefit, and 3) discrepancies in the process of granting the benefit.

Against this background, the research project aims to gain a deeper understanding of non-take-up of the long-term care allowance in Austria. Applying a mixed-methods design, the study quantitatively examines the extent and the character of the distribution of non-take-up and qualitatively explores factors that contribute to the non-take-up of the benefit, including barriers in the application process as well as in the process of awarding the benefit. Consequently, implications of the non-take-up of long-term care allowances are derived and discussed in the broader long-term care policy context.

The project is funded by the OeNB Jubiläumsfonds (project nr. 18985) and will be conducted between November 2024 and August 2027.

Pennerstorfer, A. & Österle, A. (2023). Take-up and distribution of a universal cash benefit: The case of the Austrian long-term care allowance. Journal of Social Policy. doi:10.1017/S0047279423000375

Astrid Pennerstorfer – Principal Investigator

Astrid Pennerstorfer is associate professor at the Institute for Social Policy. She has a habilitation in socioeconomics. Her current research focuses on the analysis of inequalities in access to social benefits. Recent work in this area has focused on regional inequalities in access to both childcare and long-term care.

August Österle – Principal Investigator

August Österle is associate professor at the Institute for Social Policy, and Visiting Professor at Corvinus University Budapest. His research and teaching activities focus on the socioeconomics of social policy and the welfare state, most importantly in the fields of health and long-term care, and in international and comparative perspectives.

Julia Radlherr

Julia Radlherr is a pre-doctoral researcher at the Institute for Social Policy. She holds a Master's degree in Socio-Ecological Economics and Policy (WU Wien) and a Bachelor's degree in Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics (University of Amsterdam). Her research interests include the societal organization of long-term care with a focus on gender and social inequality.