A terminally ill pensioner from Linz has been waiting for almost a year for the payment of the money that every Austrian is entitled to. While most compatriots got the energy bonus long ago, the 69-year-old is only put off time and time again.
A year and a half ago, Helmut Hofmeister from Linz received the devastating diagnosis of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) from doctors. This is a neurodegenerative disease that causes incurable muscle breakdown. British physicist Steven Hawkings was also killed.
“The average life expectancy after an outbreak is two to four years. The fact that I’ve been working on it for a year and a half is not exactly reassuring,” says Hofmeister.
Huge fixed costs
The 69-year-old lives with his partner Elfriede in an apartment in the south of Linz that is cared for by Volkshilfe. “I am a 100% nursing case. Elfriede takes care of me day and night. She is a real gem and unfortunately has to help me with almost everything,” explains the retired civil servant.
Hofmeister receives a monthly pension of 2,200 euros, of which he needs almost 1,400 euros for the apartment alone. Regularly incurred medication costs also put pressure on his budget. “I take ten pills a day.”
Nobody admits mistakes
He has to turn over every euro twice before he can spend it. It is therefore no small matter for him that he still has not received the energy cost allowance (150 euros) to which every Austrian is entitled.
“I applied for it in May 2022, but unlike most of my compatriots, I have not received it to this day,” he says angrily.
About 20 phone calls to service points in Vienna and at Linz AG changed nothing. “Everyone is rubbing each other. In Vienna they say that Linz AG is to blame because everything has already been scanned, and they tell me that they have not received anything.”
They tried to console him by saying that he would receive the money in his account at the next annual report. Hofmeister: “That’s cynical, I don’t know if I’m still alive there!”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
