There are many benefits that come with being a person with a disability (PWD), and one of these is the PWD discount. If you’re a business owner or an employee, it’s important to know about this special privilege so you can properly extend it to those who need it. And if you’re a student, understanding the ins and outs of the PWD discount will help you take advantage of this perk should you ever need it. Here’s what you need to know.
What benefits does the PWD person is entitled to? If you’re taking care of a person with a disability and want him to avail of the discount and services, you must first get his PWD ID. Here are the essential tips and procedures for obtaining a PWD ID if you don’t have your PWD ID. This article also includes the updated special discount granted and the services or goods a person with a disability is entitled to 20% and a special discount of 5%. You may read the latest regulations and other tax updates in 2019.
On August 27, 2019, the government issued regulations implementing regarding tax privileges of Persons with Disability (PWD). This regulation expands the commodities included in the basic needs and exceptional items.
What is PWD or Person with Disability?
A person with a disability (PWD) is a person who is suffering from temporary or permanent abilities. These abilities might be physical, mental, or sensory impairment beyond what is expected.
“Disability is a matter of perception.
“If you can do just one thing well, you’re needy by someone” by Martina Navratilova
What are the Type of Disability
Deaf or Hard of Hearing
It refers to people with hearing loss, implies little or no hearing/ranging from mild to severe. Hearing loss, also known as hearing impairment means the complete or partial loss of the ability to hear from one or both ears with 26 dB or greater hearing threshold, averaged at frequencies’ 0.5, 1, 2, 4 kilohertz.
Learning Disability
Persons who, although normal in sensory, emotional and intellectual abilities, exhibit disorders in perception, listening, thinking, reading, writing, spelling, and arithmetic.
Orthopedic Disability
Disability in the normal functioning of the joints, muscles, and limbs
Psychosocial Disability
Any acquired behavioral, cognitive, emotional or social impairment that limits one or more activities necessary to effective interpersonal transactions and other civilizing process or activities to daily living such as but not limited to deviancy or anti-social behavior.
Visual Disability
A person who has impairment of visual functioning even after treatment. In addition, he has visual acuity in the better eye of less than 6/18 for low vision and 3/60 for blind. Moreover, a visual field of less than 10 degrees from the point of fixation. Therefore, a person is legally blind when the corrected visual acuity is 6/60.
Intellectual Disability
Significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information and to learn and apply new skills.
Mental Disability
Disability resulting from organic brain syndrome and or mental illness (psychotic or non-psychotic disorder)
Physical Disability
Any impairment which limit the function of limbs or fine or gross motor ability.
Speech and Language Impairment
It refers to one or more speech/language disorders of voice, articulation, rhythm and receptive and expressive processes of language.
What are the Causes of Disability
Acquired
Disability that has developed during the person’s lifetime – that is as a result of an accident or illness rather than a disability the person was born with.
Cancer
A genetic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. Other terms used are malignant tumors and neoplasms. One defining feature of cancer is the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries, and which can then invade adjoining parts of the body and spread to other organs;
Congenital/Inborn
Disability from the time of birth.
Rare Disease
Disorders such as inherited metabolic disorders and other diseases with similar rare occurrence as recognized by the DOH upon recommendation of the NIH but excluding catastrophic (i.e., life threatening, seriously debilitating, or serious and chronic) forms of more frequently occurring diseases
Autism
According to the autismsocity, it is a complex, lifelong development disability that typically appears during early childhood. It affects the social skills, communication, relationship and self regulation.
Chronic Illness
A group of health conditions that last a long time. It may get slowly worse over time or may become permanent or may lead to death. It may cause permanent change to the body and will certainly affect the person’s quality of life.
This is also true to persons diagnosed with Cancer or Rare Disease. Thus, Chronic illnesses may cause disability, hence, it is considered not a disability.
Injury
A physical damage that results when a human body is suddenly or briefly subjected to intolerable levels of energy. Furthermore, it can be a bodily lesion resulting from acute exposure to energy in amounts that exceed the threshold of physiological tolerance, or it can be an impairment of function resulting from a lack of one or more vital elements (i.e. air, water, warmth), as in drowning, strangulation or freezing.
How to Get PWD ID?
Every person with a disability or PWD must possess their PWD ID anytime and anywhere. To avail of the PWD discount, PWD ID must be presented together with their booklets, depending on the items purchased. So if you don’t have your ID yet, well, here are the requirements below that you should submit to your local municipalities or cities in your location. How to get a PWD ID? you need to go to the DSW department in your municipality.
For online registration, follow the steps:
- Log in to the DOH-PPWDRS and access the online registration.
- Read and fill-up the form
- Make sure to have a printed copy of the accomplished form
- Attached one (1) ID picture on the accomplished form
- Provide a copy of the document to confirm the medical or disability condition with the PWD-RF.
For non-online application
- Prepare the PWD requirements. Make a checklist for your documents completed.
- Next, if the applicant can’t process the requirements, any person can do as long as he/she has the authorization letter signed by the person with a disability.
- Wait for a few days or weeks until the municipal mayor approves your application.
- Lastly, after the approval of the Municipal Mayor, you can take your PWD ID. If it is a plastic ID, make sure to laminate it before using it.
What are the PWD Requirements?
To get your PWD ID, here are the requirements you need to submit to the municipal hall:
- Barangay Clearance
- Two 2×2 IDs and one x1 for your purchase and medicine booklet.
- Accomplished Form for Persons with Disability. You can ask for this form in your municipality or download the form online. I suggest asking for a document from your city.
- Medical certificate or clinical abstract from a physician. This abstract must state your disability, or is permanent or temporary.
What are the Benefits and Privileges of Having a PWD ID?
According to the Republic Act no. 10754, persons with disabilities are entitled to the following provided that they must have the PWD ID issued by the local government.
- First, enjoyment of at least a twenty percent (20%) discount and exemption from the value-added tax (VAT) if applicable.
- Educational assistance both in public and private schools through scholarships, grants, and financial aids. It includes books, learning materials, and uniform allowance to the extent feasible.
- Enjoying the essential services given by the government agencies-Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and Social Security System (SSS).
- Special discount for PWD on the purchase of essential and prime commodities.
- Express lanes for PWD in all commercial and government buildings and, lastly,
- Lastly, Other benefits including the identification card issued by the city of municipal and transportation discount fare identification issued by the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP).
What is PWD Discount?
Every Person with Disability (PWD) shall enjoy a special discount of five percent (5%) of the regular retail price, without an exemption from the value-added tax (VAT) of necessities and prime commodities. However, the total amount of PWD discount given must not exceed the threshold amount of one thousand three hundred pesos (1,300) per week. This amount is non-cumulative; it means that any unclaimed amount per week cannot be carried over to the next calendar week.
This discount is only given to the private consumption and enjoyment of Persons with disabilities (PWD) within the calendar week. Importantly, ensure that the total amount shall be spent on at least four kinds of necessities and prime commodities.
How about those services and other sale goods not of the basic and prime commodities? Are they also entitled to the same special discount? Sales of any goods and services for the private consumption or enjoyment of a person with a disability are exempt from the value-added tax. These exemptions from the value-added tax shall not include sales of essential and prime commodities.
What are the Basic Necessities?
Any goods or commodities that are necessary for the person to survive. It means that without these, a person cannot live or exist. Here are the necessities:
- Rice (all kinds and variations)
- Corn
- All kinds of Bread except pastries and cakes
- Marine products, including Dried and Canned Fist, fresh fish
- Poultry meat (fresh pork, beef, etc.)
- All kinds of eggs except quail eggs
- Bottle water and containers
- Fresh and processed milk excluding milk labeled as a food supplement
- Fresh fruits, vegetables including root crops
- Coffee, creamer, and locally manufactured instant noodles
- Sugar, cooking oil, salt, and other powdered liquid, bar laundry, and detergent soap.
- Firewood, charcoal, candles, gas, and kerosene.
What are Prime Commodities?
Prime commodities are other commodities or goods that are not necessary but are essential to the Person with Disability (PWD). Here are the items:
- Onions and garlic, Vinegar, patis, and soy sauce
- Dried, processed, and canned pork, beef, and poultry meat
- Toilet and bath soap, daily products (except necessities items)
- Herbicides, pesticides, fertilizer, poultry feeds, livestock feeds, fishery feeds, and veterinary products.
- School supplies, including papers.
- Sawali, Nipa shingle, and Batteries, excluding mobile and automotive batteries.
- Construction materials (nails, hollow blocks, plywood, plyboard, cement, clinker, GI sheets, and steel wires)
- Electrical supplies and light bulbs
What are the Services or Goods subject to a PWD 20% discount?
Therefore, any qualified Person with a Disability shall enjoy at least a twenty percent (20%) discount from the following establishments; however, it must be relative to the sale of goods and services for their exclusive consumptions or enjoyment. To read this regulation issued, you may visit the BIR homepage.
- Restaurant, hotels, and similar lodging establishments and recreation centers
- All Drugstore regarding the purchase of generic and branded medicine
- Medical and dental services, including diagnostic and laboratory fees.
- Domestic and sea transportations are based on actual fares.
- Funeral and burial services for the death of the PWD.
- Theaters, cinema houses, concert halls, circuses, carnivals, and other similar places of culture, leisure, and amusement.
Conclusions
This article summarizes the things you should know about a person with a disability meaning, how you can get a PWD ID in your local municipality and the needed requirements/documents. A PWD person is entitled to many benefits and special treatment.
One of the benefits is to avail of the 5% special discount on the necessities and prime commodities’ retail price. You’ve also learned the difference between basic and prime. Furthermore, aside from the special discount, a PWD person is also entitled to a 20% discount on certain services and goods.
If you want to know how to compute pwd discount, please let me know by dropping your questions below. You can share this article you know who is person with disability (PWD).
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