The subjective scope of the right to social assistance benefits

The recipient of social assistance benefits is always a man. The beneficiary may be both a natural person as well as a group of people forming a family. Other collective entities are not entitled to social assistance benefits. Receiving the assistance is conditioned by living and staying on the territory of the Republic of Poland. Additionally, it is required by the legislator to possess Polish citizenship or, in case of foreigners, the appropriate document confirming a legal stay on the territory of the Republic of Poland. The scope of beneficiaries' rights is determined by various subjective criteria, among which income plays the most important role. The most frequent reason for providing the assistance is poverty, low or lack of income. The conditions that might determine providing the benefit are as follows: age, disability or incapacity for work. Some benefits are directed towards precisely specified recipients, e.g. the homeless, refugees, foster families or their adult foster children. Such regulations show various possibilities of classifying the entities entitled to the benefits. The regulation of the procedure of providing the assistance is significant to the beneficiary. The majority of the benefits are granted by administrative proceedings. Holding the status of the party in the proceedings enables to assert the rights effectively, including the possibility of starting the instance control and appealing against a decision to the administrative cour