Sickness-related absences and sickness allowance
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A disability pension is intended for individuals whose work ability has significantly deteriorated due to illness or injury for at least one year. The pension can be granted to a person who is at least 17 years old and has not yet reached the lowest old-age pension age.
The disability pension usually begins after the right to sickness allowance ends, i.e., approximately one year after becoming incapacitated for work. Granting a pension requires that the person is unable to continue working due to health reasons, even if rehabilitation measures or vocational rehabilitation have already been utilized.
A disability pension can be granted for a fixed term (rehabilitation support) or indefinitely. The pension can be full or partial.
Assessing and supporting work ability is a core competence of occupational health care. In addition to the occupational health physician and nurse, other occupational health professionals and experts such as an occupational physiotherapist, occupational health psychologist, social expert, and specialist doctors (e.g., psychiatrist, orthopedist, or physiatrist) participate as needed. The overall responsibility for the assessment and drawing conclusions always rests with the occupational health physician.
When work ability declines, occupational health care assesses the need for treatment and rehabilitation early on, as well as various possibilities for supporting and restoring work ability. The primary goal is always to continue working instead of a disability pension. Occupational health care, in cooperation with the employee and employer, investigates possibilities for continuing work, for example, by lightening the job description or by transferring to tasks more suitable for the health condition within the employer's service.
These matters are discussed jointly in an occupational health negotiation. Return to work can also take place part-time with the support of partial sickness allowance or, if the job description changes, through a work trial in accordance with the Occupational Health Care Act.
If a suitable job cannot be found with the current employer, it is necessary to consider broader alternatives. Even if the work ability for one's own job has significantly decreased, the remaining work ability is generally assessed in relation to work in connection with a disability pension decision. Only at the age of 60 is work ability assessed in relation to one's own job or tasks enabled by existing skills.
Pension insurers support continuing in working life through vocational rehabilitation. Vocational rehabilitation can mean, for example, work trials, support for studies and vocational courses, support for entrepreneurship, and guidance support for creating a new career plan. A decision on vocational rehabilitation can be given upon application or in connection with a disability pension decision.
If the health condition does not allow continuing to work despite the support measures of vocational rehabilitation, occupational health care discusses with the client the possibility of applying for a partial disability pension or a disability pension. If the decision is made to apply for a pension, the occupational health physician prepares a B-statement describing the diseases and their treatment, key research findings, functional capacity, possibilities for treatment and rehabilitation, work history, and work ability and its prognosis.
A disability pension is applied for from one's own earnings-related pension company, usually on the pension company's secure websites. The same application can also be used to apply for a pension paid by Kela. The pension company's website also provides an estimate of the amount of the disability pension. The client always applies for the pension themselves, and occupational health care prepares an up-to-date B-medical statement as an attachment to the application. Occupational health care can assist in preparing the application if necessary.
A partial disability pension is applied for in the same way as a disability pension. If the pension company's stance is positive, the pension company gives a positive preliminary decision on the matter. The preliminary decision is valid for approximately 10 months. During this time, one can calmly consider accepting the pension and, if necessary, arrange work matters. A partial disability pension does not require working.
