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Determining the severity of a disability of working-age people

We determine the degree of disability in working-age people whose daily activities and participation in social life are difficult, limited, or hindered.

To whom?

Are you of working age and, in addition to working under normal conditions, you have difficulties moving, communicating, dressing, eating, washing, and using the toilet independently?

If you have a long-term or permanent limitation on participation and performance, which, despite treatment and the use of technical aids, prevent you from being able to cope with the tasks of everyday life, there is an opportunity to request the determination of the severity of the disability, which can be based on an expert assessment of workability from the unemployment fund or an expert physician's assessment from the Social Insurance Board.

How to act?

In case of health problems, first consult a family physician, who will advise and ensure the necessary examinations and treatment. If necessary, the family physician will refer you to a medical specialist.

The social worker of the local government provides information about various supporting services and allowances, assesses the need for services and assistance, assigns services, and arranges funds if necessary.

If your health impairment is long-term and the ability to act is limited, the expert physician of the unemployment fund will assess your work ability, taking into account the health condition based on the health data of the digital health records and the assessment of the ability to act that you indicated on the joint application. Before applying for a work ability assessment, it is important that a family physician or a medical specialist has made an entry describing the health condition and the resulting limitations in the e-health information system (digital health records) within the last six months.

Both when assessing the work ability and when identifying the severity of the disability, the effect of treatment and technical aids on your ability to act is taken into account. Existing participation and performance limitations are assessed in seven areas:

  1. movement
  2. manual action
  3. transmitting and receiving information
  4. staying conscious and self-care
  5. learning and carrying out activities
  6. adaptation to change and threat perception
  7. communication

Work ability is assessed in three ranges: it is either complete, partial, or absent. The unemployment fund can then help you find and keep a job. For those of working age who have partial or no work ability (or a previously determined percentage of loss of work ability), there is a state discount starting at 40% when purchasing technical aids.

When determining the severity of the disability of working age, the functional limitations caused by the health condition in coping with everyday life, i.e., the ability to act, are taken into account. Ability to act means, for example, your ability to move independently, use your hands, learn new activities, etc. The severity of the disability is determined for up to 5 years but not longer than the age of retirement.

When making the decision to determine the severity of the disability, we take into account your health condition, its cost so far, and the forecast of changes. If your work ability has also been assessed, we generally consider the period of reduced work ability for the period of disability. You can submit a joint application to the unemployment fund to assess work ability and disability.

The disability determination procedure begins at the Social Insurance Board after the unemployment fund has made a decision on the assessment of work ability. When determining the severity of the disability, we base it on the unemployment fund's expert physician's assessment of the existing limitations of activity. It is possible to request an assessment of the severity of the disability without an assessment of work ability; in this case, the application should only be submitted to the Social Insurance Board, and the document-based assessment will be carried out by our expert physician.

In case of a condition that excludes the work ability (the list is also on the joint application form), you only need to fill in parts I and II of the application form. The presence of a condition that excludes the work ability is confirmed by an expert physician, and a partially completed application does not prevent the severity of the disability from being identified in any area where there are participation and performance limitations. The conditions that exclude the work ability are: treatment that alleviates the ailments of a malignant tumor, i.e., the best supportive treatment, if it is not possible to apply on co-specific treatment; dialysis treatment; controlled breathing or continuous oxygen therapy for respiratory failure; dementia; moderate or severe or profound mental retardation; permanently bedridden (need for round-the-clock assistance). The condition excluding the work ability, is not related to a specific type of disability or the severity of the disability.

In case of the severity of the determined disabilities, the purchase of a technical aid is subject to a state discount according to the list of technical aids.

Last updated: 03.04.2023

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