Labour ministry sets PATH, disability and work reforms after Hurricane Melissa

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security says it is advancing a broad reform programme aimed at helping Jamaicans recover from Hurricane Melissa while improving access to welfare, labour and disability services across the country.

A major change is planned for the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education, PATH. Applicants who receive provisional approval after the first Beneficiary Management Information System review will be placed on temporary payment and begin collecting benefits before the full verification stage is completed. The ministry says verification and orientation will continue, with tighter timelines, better operating standards and stronger checks, while persons who are no longer eligible will be removed from the programme.

Additional help is being directed to vulnerable households, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers affected by the hurricane, and persons with disabilities seeking entry to PATH. Jamaica is also to get its first dedicated training institution for domestic workers through a partnership with the Jamaica Household Workers Union, with the aim of improving skills, employability and worker protection.

The ministry’s Solidarity Programme is providing a one-off $20,000 grant to 50,000 vulnerable Jamaicans who are not receiving PATH, poor relief, social pension, NIS or similar assistance. More than $230 million has already gone to nearly 12,000 beneficiaries, and persons approved but unable to collect in the first payment cycle now have until the end of June.

For persons with disabilities, a digital marketplace will be added to the I Am Able platform to link disability-owned businesses with local and overseas buyers. The renewed Accessibility Tools for Transformation grant, valued at $25.5 million, will help cover hearing aids, glasses, prosthetics, mobility devices and therapy services, with eligible applicants able to receive up to 80 per cent of costs, or full coverage in exceptional cases. The JCPD will focus next fiscal year on capacity, service delivery, digital transformation, policy oversight and rights enforcement.

The Early Stimulation Programme is also expanding through Access Jamaica, which will send mobile therapy teams to rural communities in Trelawny, Westmoreland and St. Mary. The ministry expects the service to cut rural waiting times by 40 per cent and reach 1,000 more children in year one.

For hurricane-damaged homes, phase two of the Restoration of Owner or Occupant Family Shelters Roofs Programme is being prepared to speed up help and strengthen accountability. Labour reforms include a Future of Work and Digital Labour Task Force, standards for remote work, protection for non-traditional workers, AI-related job preparation, a BPO decent work partnership, a workplace risk toolkit, progress toward unemployment insurance within two years, and expanded support for overseas farm workers, including automated communication, upgrades to the E Street facility and a St. James processing outpost.