Sickness benefit may be paid in a year not longer than 182 days, or 270 if the incapacity for work is caused by tuberculosis or during pregnancy.
By the end of last year, the sick leaves the patient received for the same disease were added up. It was the so-called continuation of treatment. It was different for various diseases, when the leaves were issued to another disease entity. Then the benefit period was calculated anew.
– From January it does not matter what we are sick with, because each subsequent sick leave, when the interval between them does not exceed 60 days, is added up until the annual sickness benefit is exhausted – he says Anna Szaniawska from the press office of the regional branch of the Social Insurance Institution.
If the insured person has used up the entire sickness benefit and is still unable to work, he / she may apply for a rehabilitation benefit. It is due for a maximum of 12 months to a person who is still unable to work, but promises to regain capacity within this period.
The exception is incapacity to work during pregnancy. The period of incapacity for work before the break of up to 60 days, if the incapacity occurred during pregnancy after the break, is not included in the benefit period.
An allowance despite being late with contributions
One of the changes concerns the sickness benefit for people registered for voluntary sickness insurance, i.e. running a business and people cooperating with them.
Entrepreneurs will not lose their entitlement to unemployment benefit due to late premium payment. They will also be able to receive sickness benefits if they pay the premium after the deadline. Every year, over 150 thousand. applications for restoring the deadline for paying contributions from entrepreneurs who are late with paying them and want to retain the right to the allowance. From the new year on, these conclusions are no longer needed.
In the case of people whose incapacity for work arises in the period when they are in arrears with contributions in an amount higher than 1 percent. minimum wage, new regulations allow you to receive benefits after debt repayment. The right to them will, however, be statute-barred if the debt is not repaid within 6 months of the entitlement to the benefit. However, the debt amounting to a maximum of 1% is not an obstacle in the payment. minimum wage. These rules are the same as in the case of accident benefits.
Changes in the amount of the allowance
Sickness benefit for hospital stays has increased. Before the change, it was lower than the standard rate and was, as a rule, 70%. the basis of the dimension.
– From the new year, the monthly sickness benefit is 80 percent. no matter if it concerns hospitalization or stay at home. In addition, from 2022, the allowance calculation basis is not recalculated if there was no break between the periods of their collection (regardless of their type) or the break was shorter than a calendar month. Previously, the regulations indicated a break of not less than 3 calendar months – adds our interlocutor.
Maternity in the event of the death of the employer
From January, women whose employment ceased during pregnancy due to the death of their employer were entitled to maternity allowance. Until now, after the birth of their child, they were not entitled to an allowance.
If the insured person was employed under an employment contract and this contract expired due to the death of the employer, the woman will receive an allowance equal to the maternity allowance until the day of delivery.
This means that pregnant women who lose their contract due to the death of their employer are protected in the same way as those whose employer has been terminated or has gone bankrupt.
Benefit after termination of employment
According to the new regulations, after the end of insurance, you can receive sickness benefits for up to 91 days. This rule does not apply, inter alia, to people suffering from tuberculosis or unable to work during pregnancy.
Op. [email protected], photo: arch. Sądeczanin.info – illustrative photo.
– .
