The number of persons who are entitled to social benefit and cold-month allowances has decreased. According to a report presented by Djulieta Popescu, division head at the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family, 100,000 families received allowances in 2012, as against 146,000 in 2011. “The Ministry’s information system was modified in 2012. As a result of the changes, there was instituted an automated system for exchanging data concerning the allowances received by every person. We established that some of the recipients may not declare either the pension or the allowance,” Djulieta Popescu said in a meeting of the commission on problems of the elderly. Deputy Minister of Labor, Social Protection and Family Sergiu Sainciuc said the minimum guaranteed state income, based on which the income of the family that applies for social benefit is calculated, rose from 640 lei to 1,024 lei. This does not yet mean that the persons whose pension is lower than 1,024 lei will receive social benefit. The decision to provide allowances is taken by the social assistants who evaluate the goods owned by the applicants. Over 330 million lei was spent in the first ten months of 2012 on the provision of social benefit. More than 70 million lei went to pay cold-month allowances.