What to do when my employee's work ability has weakened?

Occupational health care will append a record of the occupational health negotiation to the medical statement to be sent. The record should also include the employer’s opinion and information on the possibility of continuing to work at your own workplace. That is why the occupational health negotiation plays an important role.

We require an employer’s description as an attachment to a years-of-service pension application. We can ask for a description in connection with other applications too, if it is necessary for making a decision. Please return the filled in form within two weeks.

A negative decision does not automatically mean that no options for continuing at work remain. The employee, employer and occupational health care should assess the situation together through an occupational health negotiation in order to find a suitable solution for the employee’s state of health.

If the employee is entitled to vocational rehabilitation, their continued employment can be supported through rehabilitation. If vocational rehabilitation is not granted and the workplace cannot offer work suited to the employee’s state of health, the employee can explore rehabilitation options through Kela or support from the employment services authority for returning to work.

The partial sickness allowance does not prevent you from applying for vocational rehabilitation. An employee can apply for vocational rehabilitation by filling in a rehabilitation application and sending us a medical statement. 

If the right to vocational rehabilitation is granted, we will assess what is the most suitable means for supporting continued employment in the long term.

If the employee is not yet entitled to vocational rehabilitation, they must apply for it with a rehabilitation application and medical statement. An occupational health negotiation record, if one exists, is worth attaching to the application.

The work trial plan information should be supplied in the rehabilitation application or, if the right to rehabilitation has already been granted, in a rehabilitation plan application. Applications can be filled in in the Varma Online Service.

A work trial can start once the right to vocational rehabilitation has been granted and the work trial plan has been approved. Before we pay the rehabilitation allowance we will ask for a work trial agreement.

The more ready the work trial plan and the required attachments are at the application stage, the faster the work trial can be started.

A work trial can be begun while receiving Kela’s sickness allowance or Varma’s cash rehabilitation benefit.

It is important in the occupational health negotiation to assess together the right timing for the work trial to support work ability and the return to work.

The minimum working hours for a work trial are 20 hours per week. The goal is to add working hours during the work trial, taking into account the employee’s work ability.

A work trial can be supported for a maximum of six months. If there are still work trial months remaining and it makes sense to continue the work trial to increase the number of working hours, you can apply to Varma for a continuation.

At Varma, we do not comment on employment relationship issues. To work out the situation, the employer should contact the employee and discuss the situation with them.

The decision received by the employee specifies a personal earnings limit that must not be exceeded while receiving a partial disability pension. The working hours have not been set, so you can agree on them with the employee. What matters is that the employee’s earnings stay within the earnings limit.

The cash rehabilitation benefit is granted for the duration of treatment and rehabilitation and its goal is to support the employee’s return to employment.

It is important for the employer to stay in contact with the employee also during long absences so that the employee’s connection to work is maintained.

Before the end of the cash rehabilitation benefit, it is a good idea to organise an occupational health negotiation where you assess the timing of the return to work and agree on the necessary support measures and work arrangements.

The partial cash rehabilitation benefit is granted for the duration of treatment and rehabilitation when the employee’s work ability is not yet sufficient for full-time work. The goal is to return to full-time work after the partial cash rehabilitation benefit.
Regular follow-up and support are important during the partial cash rehabilitation benefit period.

The occupational health negotiation can be used to assess the impact of the employee’s health on working and monitor their work performance. At the same time, you should agree with the employee, supervisor and occupational health physician on the next steps and support measures needed to reach full-time work.