The aim of the e-assistant is to create equal access to state and municipal services for all social groups, enabling everyone to receive services electronically. An e-assistant is an employee of the Local Government Unified Customer Service Centre (Service Centre), to whom the client entrusts to apply for the Latvian State Social Insurance Agency (SSIA) service in his/her own name.
It helps those who do not have enough skills and do not have access to electronic identification and therefore cannot use e-services. 122 Service Centres have been established in 35 municipalities.
A person has to visit the nearest Service Centre with an identity document and ask a Service Centre employee for help to complete the formalities and authorization. After signing the authorization, the employee applies for the required SSIA service electronically on behalf of the client, informs about the planned execution time of it and the possibilities to receive a response. The functionality of the authorized e-service not only improves the availability of services to customers, but also reduces the administrative burden of the SSIA, as the number of applications submitted electronically has expanded, saving time for on-site customer service and processing of paper applications.