Nursing supplement, or maybe a nursing benefit? A sick person may receive financial help from ZUS or municipal funds. The guardian of such a person can also count on some support.
Whatfinancial supportis available to a sick person who has he alth insurance? Can a person resigning from work to care for the disabled also count on additional benefits? We present the most important information onallowances and benefits for the elderly and sick .
Nursing benefit
Nursing benefit is granted to a person who cannot work or does not start or resigns from work because he or she has to look after, for example, a disabled parent or sibling. The care must consist in the constant help of the disabled in carrying out daily activities, in rehabilitation, treatment, etc. - due to the significantly limited ability to function independently. The benefit may be applied for by children of the disabled, natural or step-siblings, grandson, granddaughter, grandmother, grandfather, legal guardian. The benefit will not be granted to a person who receives a salary or has his / her own retirement pension, disability pension or pre-retirement allowance. If the person requiring constant care is married or stays in a 24-hour care facility, the benefit will not be paid. The condition for receiving it is a certificate of significant disability of the student / ward or one that prevents independent functioning. The money (PLN 520 per month) is paid by the commune or poviat where the guardian lives. Warning! A person who is en titled to a nursing allowance from ZUS and a nursing allowance paid by the municipality must choose which one he prefers to get.
Nursing supplement
Every person over 75 years of age receives an ex officio nursing supplement paid by the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS). Other people, e.g. war invalids, may receive it, provided that they have been recognized by the ZUS certifying physician as completely incapable of work and independent existence. The supplement is not granted to people who stay in a care facility for half of each month. From March 1, 2012, the monthly amount of the allowance is:
- for a war invalid incapable of work and independentexistence, the amount is PLN 293.57 gross;
- for other people - PLN 195.67 gross.
The amount of the nursing care supplement is indexed annually, from 1 March of a given year, using the old-age pension indexation index.
Services for carers
The benefit is granted to the insured person (compulsorily or voluntarily) who meets the following
conditions:
- takes personal care of a sick family member, e.g. spouse, parents, parents-in-law, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings;
- there are no other family members who can care for the patient;
- the caregiver is dismissed from work because he or she is on sick leave due to the need to look after the sick and does not receive any other remuneration apart from sickness insurance.
The care allowance is granted to only one person looking after the sick person - the one who applied for it. The allowance may be collected for a maximum of 14 days in a calendar year. The basis for the amount of the care allowance is the average monthly remuneration paid for the period of 12 calendar months preceding the payment of the allowance or the actual employment for full calendar months, if the incapacity for work occurred before this period. Also included are bonuses such as quarterly, annual, profit awards etc. of 1/12 of the total amount paid. The allowance is paid at the rate of 80 percent. the allowance qualifying wage. The base cannot be lower than PLN 1,294.35 (from January 1, 2012), i.e. the minimum wage, after deduction of:
- amount corresponding to 13.71 percent this salary - for full-time employees;
- average monthly income from which the sickness insurance contribution is paid for the period of 12 calendar months;
- amount corresponding to 13.71 percent basis for the assessment of contributions for this insurance - for employees who are not employees.