Proposed allowance could help return to work from sick leave
A Ministry of Social Affairs and Health working group has proposed the introduction of a partial allowances out of the system of sickness allowances to help people to return to working life following a relatively long period off work.
The benefit would take the form of a partial daily allowance or partial rehabilitation allowance and would be included in the Health Insurance Act. The aim of the proposal is to tackle the risk of people on long-term sick leave becoming excluded from working life.
According to the proposal, the partial daily allowance would be a benefit independent of sickness allowance. It would not affect the entitlement period for payment of sickness allowance or the calculation of the ‘primary time’. Eligibility for a partial daily allowance would not be subject to a qualification period. It would be paid after the employer’s duty to pay wages ends.
The proposal is part of a range of measures being carried out by the government to promote continued involvement in working life and to prevent the risks of exclusion from the labour market.