What is a document? What is an official document?
The concept of document is defined in the Archives Act and in the Act on the Openness of Government Activities. A document is any type of recorded information regardless of form or medium. Consequently, a document may consist of
- a written presentation
- a visual presentation
- an electronic presentation
- a recording which can be listened to or which is decipherable by means of a technical device.
A document may, in practice, be any type of presentation ranging from a traditional paper document to an electronic presentation.
Not all documents are, however, deemed to be official documents. Under the Act on Openness of Government Activities, official documents are documents in the possession of an authority. As regards Kela, this means that official documents are documents that are in the possession of Kela for one of the following reasons:
The document has been
- prepared by a person in the service of Kela
- delivered to Kela for the consideration of a matter
- delivered to Kela in connection with a matter within the competence or duties of Kela
- commissioned by Kela.
What documents are deemed to be official Kela documents?
At Kela, the following documents prepared by persons in the service of Kela constitute typical official documents
- decisions
- statements
- memorandums
- presentations
- reports and inquiries
- statistics.
Documents delivered to Kela for the consideration of a matter are, for example, various applications and notifications.
What documents are deemed not to be official Kela documents?
At Kela, the following are not deemed to be official documents
- letters or other documents sent to a person in the service of Kela or to an elected official because of another task performed or position held by the recipient
- notes kept by a person in the service of Kela or drafts which a person has prepared for his or her own work
- documents prepared or procured for Kela’s in-service training, for example notes on courses or free-form messages.