"Krone" success

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Caregiver Erika looks after Mrs. W. - officially - 24 hours a day. For the MA 40, Mrs. W. still lives all alone in her apartment.(Bild: Gerhard Bartel)

Following a "Krone" report about Leopoldine W., a Viennese woman in need of care who was sued for repayment of her housing bonus despite her small pension, the city is now paying everything she is entitled to after all. It was probably also a matter of concern that Ms. W. could have triggered a legal avalanche.

The Viennese housing bonus of 200 euros was intended for people like her last year: 90-year-old former Konsum saleswoman Leopoldine W. was hit hard by the rise in prices. She has a maximum of 300 euros a month for the whole household - and that's for two people, as her carer lives with her. This was her downfall: the city sued her for repayment of the "wrongly" applied for housing bonus because she was living "alone" in her apartment. But now it's back to square one.

City pays everything back
One month after the "Krone" report about Ms. W., the news arrived: MA 40 has not only dropped all claims against Ms. W., but has also refunded the first instalment of the repayment of the housing bonus - 40 euros, Ms. W. could not afford more. Prior to this, Ms. W. had looked at her tax assessment notice and discovered that she had never claimed the care. With the new tax assessment, she is well below the income limit that entitles her to the housing bonus - as a "single person living alone".