Legislation on services and benefits for older people

This page lists the key pieces of legislation on services and benefits for older people. 

Below you will find them by topic and also links to more detailed guidance.

Health and social services

In Finland, the right to healthcare and social welfare services is primarily based on the person’s need for services, not on their age. However, legislation lays down provisions on specific waiting times and rights that relate to older people's access to services and to being assessed for them.

The general acts governing public healthcare and social welfare services are:

Assessment of the need for services, access to services and client charges

The Social Welfare Act ensures that people aged 75 and over can have their need for social services assessed within seven working days from the initial contact. Provisions on the maximum waiting times for access to care (treatment time guarantee) are laid down in the Health Care Act.

The Act on Supporting the Functional Capacity of the Older Population and on Social and Health Services for Older Persons (known as the Act on Care Services for Older Persons) contains provisions on responding to the service needs of older people, on their access to services and on the quality of services.

The Act and Decree on Client Charges in Healthcare and Social Welfare lay down provisions on charges for public health and social services.

Provisions on reimbursements payable for medicines and private medical care are laid down in the Health Insurance Act.

Informal care support 

Informal care support means that a person who needs help is cared for at home by someone they are close to. Provisions on arranging informal care support are laid down in the Act on Support for Informal Care.

Supervision of health and social services

Provisions on the supervision of health and social services are laid down in the Act on the Supervision of Healthcare and Social Welfare Services. The act applies to both public and private service providers. 

Disabled veterans and front-line veterans

The Military Injuries Act lays down provisions on rehabilitation and life annuities for disabled veterans, on health and social services for them, and on reimbursements for these services to wellbeing services counties. Provisions on the rehabilitation of front-line veterans are laid down in separate acts.

Provisions on front-line veterans’ supplements are laid down in the Front Veterans’ Pensions Act and the Act on Front Veterans’ Supplements Payable Abroad.

Pension and benefits for pensioners

The Finnish pension provision consists of an earnings-related pension, national pension and guarantee pension. Pensioners can receive support for housing from the housing allowance system for pensioners. Persons who receive a pension and have a chronic illness or disability may be entitled to a care allowance for pensioners.

Provisions on earnings-related pensions are laid down in the pension acts for each sector.

Further information

Satu Karppanen, Senior Ministerial Adviser 
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Department for Communities and Functional Capacity / YTO, Functional Capacity Unit / TOK Telephone:0295163549   Email Address: