Therapeutic part-time or part-time for therapeutic reasons is a temporary arrangement of working hours compensated by social security which can be offered following a break in work. The aim is to allow the employee to gradually return to work, taking into account their state of health.
What is a Therapeutic Part-Time?
A therapeutic half-life can be proposed by the attending physician in several cases:
- Pathology
- Injury at work or in everyday life
- Complicated pregnancy
Time not worked is compensated by the Social Security, which pays the IJ (Daily Allowances) established by the Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie (CPAM). The purpose of the therapeutic interval is that the employee can return to full-time work in the long term.
From 1 January 2019, the therapeutic break no longer has to be preceded by a break from work.
People with ALD (Long Term Condition) can also benefit from this device, always under the prescription of their own doctor.
How to request the therapeutic range?
The implementation of part-time therapy requires the coordination of several services:
- Consultation with the attending physician, who prescribes the length of working time (50% or more)
- Request for consent from the employer, by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt
- The worker and the employer must agree on the number of hours to be worked, their distribution and remuneration, which will appear in an addendum to the employment contract.
- Visit to occupational medicine to validate or not the return to part-time work
- Transmission of the medical prescription and the certificate to the CPAM
What salary during a therapeutic part-time?
During the therapeutic interval, the worker will be paid by the employer for the hours worked and will receive daily allowances from the Social Security for the remaining hours. The proposed working time can be more than 50% of full time.
The amount of the IJ corresponds to half of the daily basic salary, calculated on the gross salary of the three months preceding the interruption of work. The IJ cannot exceed the basic salary that would be paid to another employee of the same occupational category.
What is the maximum duration of a half-time therapy?
After an initial three-month therapeutic part-time, the qualified doctor can propose a renewal from 1 to 3 months. The total duration must not exceed one year.
This therapeutic part-time can be spread over several years: the social security pays a maximum of 360 IJ spread over three consecutive years.
In the case of ALD, the worker can benefit from 3 years of halved therapeutic interval for each pathology and, in some cases, a fourth year can be granted.
Beyond this period and if the return to full-time work is not possible due to the worker’s health, the attending physician can then request a request for invalidity.
Advantages and disadvantages of the therapeutic range
Therapeutic part-time work has advantages for the employee:
- The activity promotes the person’s recovery
- Return to work occurs at a pace appropriate to the employee’s state of health
- The organization of working hours leaves time to follow your rehabilitation or rehabilitation and to present for medical appointments
- The employee accumulates paid time off like any other part-time employee
However, it also has disadvantages:
- The employer can refuse the request for a therapeutic break on imperative grounds
- The employee or employer can reconsider their decision within two months after the therapeutic interval has been implemented
- The employee may experience a drop in salary because Social Security IJs are not the same as social benefits
Therapeutic range and public service
Civil servants and contract staff under public law are also eligible part-time for therapeutic reasons. The request must be made to the administration upon presentation of a medical certificate.
