Coordination with other benefits

The sickness allowance may affect other benefits and compensations you receive. The sickness allowance can

• be your primary benefit. This means that the other benefit is paid only to the extent that there remains any to be paid after the sickness allowance has been deducted from it.
• prevent you from getting some other benefit. This means that the other benefit is not awarded to you or that it is stopped as soon as payment of the sickness allowance begins.

Also other benefits and compensations may have an effect on the sickness allowance. They can

• prevent you from getting a sickness allowance. This means that you will not be awarded a sickness allowance, or that payment of the allowance is stopped when the other benefit goes into payment.
• be the primary benefit. This means that the sickness allowance is paid only to the extent that it exceeds the other benefit or compensation.

Pensions

• Partial disability pension
  • Affects the amount of the sickness allowance.
  • The pension is deducted from the sickness allowance. The rules governing the way in which the pension is deducted are affected by the year in which the payment of the pension began and the income used as the basis for calculating the allowance.
• Old-age pension, early old-age pension, unemployment pension, part-time pension or guarantee pension
  • There is usually no entitlement to a sickness allowance.
  • However, persons who are under 68 years of age and who worked immediately before becoming unfit for work (while drawing a pension) are entitled to a sickness allowance. In this case the allowance is determined on the basis of the income earned in retirement.
• Full disability pension from Kela or an authorised pension provider
  • There is no entitlement to a sickness allowance.
  • However, persons who are under 68 years of age and who worked immediately before becoming unfit for work (while drawing a pension) are entitled to a sickness allowance. This is also the case if the national pension was awarded on account of blindness or mobility disability. In this case the allowance is determined on the basis of the income earned in retirement.

Rehabilitation benefits

• Rehabilitation allowance from Kela, rehabilitation allowance from an authorised pension provider, partial rehabilitation allowance, discretionary rehabilitation assistance
  • There is no entitlement to a sickness allowance.
• Compensation for loss of income from an insurance provider (paid under the Employment Accidents Insurance Act, the Motor Liability Insurance Act or the Military Injuries Act for the duration of rehabilitation)
  • There is no entitlement to a sickness allowance.

Other daily allowances

• Parental allowances
  • Not payable at the same time as the sickness allowance.
• Unemployment benefits
  • Not available once payment of the sickness allowance begins.
  • Recipients of an unemployment benefit who begin to receive sickness allowance are paid the unemployment benefit during the waiting period for the sickness allowance, with no interruption in benefit payments.
• Financial aid for students
  • Financial aid payments are deducted from the sickness allowance until the sickness allowance is awarded for more than 18 days in a calendar month. The financial aid is discontinued if there are fewer than 18 days of active study in a calendar month.

Other payments

Other benefits, including compensations for work injury, occupational disease, traffic accident or military injury, which are paid during the same period of time and on account of the same cause of work incapacity, are deducted from the sickness allowance.

If you are unable to work for any of the above reasons, contact your insurance provider for a compensation for loss of income.  If you sustained an injury in military service, submit your claim for compensation to the State Treasury. If the handling of the matter is delayed, you can claim sickness allowance from Kela. Ask your insurance provider to issue a certificate of delay for Kela so that Kela can take a decision on your claim for sickness allowance.