Source: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/en/eli/ee/Riigikogu/act/504022019006/consolide
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 15:06:29+00:00

Document:
25.11.2015 RT I, 17.12.2015, 1 20.12.2015, in sections 1, 2, 5–13, 15–21, 23 and 27 the word "person" [inimene] has been replaced throughout the text by the word "person" [isik] in the appropriate case form.
(1) The purpose of this Act is to support employment and access to employment of persons with reduced work ability caused by long-term health damage and to ensure an income for them under the conditions and to the extent provided by law.
(2) This Act establishes the bases for assessment of work ability and the conditions of and procedure for grant and payment of work ability allowance.
(4) If an international agreement entered into by the Republic of Estonia includes provisions concerning the grant or payment of the allowance provided for in this Act which are different, the international agreement applies.
(2) Residents of Estonia specified in clauses (1) 1) and 2) of this section whose residence is in several states are entitled to work ability assessment and work ability allowance if they are residents for the purposes of subsection 6 (1) of the Income Tax Act or if they reside permanently in Estonia for the purposes of the Aliens Act.
(3) In the cases provided by law, work ability of persons under 16 years of age or persons of pensionable age shall also be assessed.
Work ability shall be assessed and work ability allowance shall be granted and paid by the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund (hereinafter unemployment insurance fund).
Work ability allowance is financed from the state budget through the budget of the Ministry of Social Affairs.
(1) By assessment of work ability, the level of work ability of a person with long-term health damage shall be established.
(2) Upon assessment of work ability, the state of health of a person and restrictions on activity and participation arising from the state of health, and the prognosis and estimated duration of such restrictions shall be taken into account.
3) no work ability if he or she is unable to work taking into account the circumstances specified in subsection (2) of this section.
(4) The conditions of assessment of work ability and the list of states of health precluding work ability shall be established by a regulation of the minister responsible for the area.
(1) A person shall submit a conforming application for assessment of work ability to the unemployment insurance fund. Upon submission of an application for assessment of work ability, the person gives his or her consent for using his or her data in the health information system for assessment of work ability.
(2) A person may submit an application for assessment of work ability to the unemployment insurance fund through the Social Insurance Board if the application is submitted together with an application for determination of the degree of severity of disability submitted to the Social Insurance Board on the basis of the Social Benefits for Disabled Persons Act.
2) the list of conditions precluding work ability and the list of restrictions on activity which characterise the physical and mental abilities of a person necessary for working.
(4) A person shall have visited his or her family physician, the medical specialist who is mainly treating the person or an occupational health doctor (hereinafter doctor) within six months before submission of an application for assessment of work ability.
(5) If a person has not visited a doctor within six months before submission of an application for assessment of work ability, the unemployment insurance fund shall inform the person of the requirement to visit a doctor and shall set a term for fulfilment of the requirement.
3) obtain the given name and surname of the doctor who submitted the information.
(7) The date on which the application for assessment of work ability is submitted to the unemployment insurance fund or in the case specified in subsection (2) of this section to the Social Insurance Board shall be deemed to be the date of submission of the application. If the application for assessment of work ability is sent by post, the date on the date stamp of the place from which the application was sent is deemed to be the date of submission of the application.
(1) The unemployment insurance fund shall assess the work ability of a person by involving health care providers and other experts for expert opinion if necessary.
(2) The unemployment insurance fund shall enter into a civil law contract with a health care provider specified in subsection (1) of this section. Value added tax shall not be imposed on expert opinions for the purposes of clause 16 (1) 2) of the Value Added Tax Act.
(3) If it is impossible to assess the work ability of a person on the basis of existing information, the unemployment insurance fund has the right to refer the person to a health care provider specified in subsection (1) in order to obtain an opinion concerning the work ability of the person. If a person is referred to a health care provider, the unemployment insurance fund shall compensate the person for the additional expenses caused by the special needs in connection with visiting the health care provider or shall pay such expenses for the person. If a person fails to appear at the health care provider for a visit without good reason, the unemployment insurance fund may refuse to review the application for assessment of work ability.
(5) The list of information in the health information system necessary for assessing work ability and the periods for inquiries in the case provided for in subsection (4) of this section shall be established by a regulation of the minister responsible for the area.
(6) If there is no information specified in subsection (4) of this section in the health information system or the information is insufficient to assess work ability, the doctor shall forward the information requested by the unemployment insurance fund to the health information system or the unemployment insurance fund within ten working days as of the receipt of the relevant request from the unemployment insurance fund.
(1) The unemployment insurance fund shall establish that a person has partial or no work ability as of submission of the application for assessment of work ability for up to five years but not for longer than until the pensionable age unless otherwise provided by law.
(2) The unemployment insurance fund shall establish that a person has no work ability as of submission of the application for assessment of work ability until the pensionable age if, taking into account the nature and estimated duration of the health damage of the person, the condition precluding work ability is unchanging or progressive.
(3) The unemployment insurance fund shall establish that a person has partial or no work ability as of the day following the end of the term for which partial or no work ability has been established by the previous decision concerning the assessment of work ability if the person submits an application for assessment of work ability within 50 working days before the last day of the term for which partial or no work ability has been established by the decision concerning the assessment of work ability in force.
(1) The unemployment insurance fund shall make a decision concerning the assessment of work ability within 30 working days as of receipt of the application for assessment of work ability. The unemployment insurance fund may, with good reason, extend the term for review of the application. The unemployment insurance fund shall immediately notify the applicant of extension of the term together with the reasons for extension.
(2) The unemployment insurance fund shall deliver the decision specified in subsection (1) of this section to a person by electronic means, by sending an unregistered letter or at the local department of the unemployment insurance fund.
The unemployment insurance fund shall make the information concerning partial or no work ability established for a person available to the person electronically or issue a respective document to the person on request.
Work ability allowance shall be paid on the conditions provided for in this Act to a person who has been established to have partial or no work ability in order to ensure an income for the person.
14) is in compulsory military service, alternative service or reserve service.
(2) A person with no work ability has the right to receive work ability allowance.
(3) On the basis provided for in clause (1) 9) of this section, one parent, guardian or foster parent raising at least one child under three years of age has the right to receive work ability allowance.
(31) A person with partial work ability who after acquiring basic, secondary, vocational or higher education intends to continue acquiring education at the same or another level of education or level of higher education has the right to receive work ability allowance without meeting the conditions of subsection (1) of this section after being disenrolled from the educational institution until commencement of studies, but for no longer than 95 days.
(4) A person who is paid pension, the allowance of a rescue worker waiting for old-age pension, prosecutors' work ability allowance or spouse allowance on the basis of the Foreign Service Act or the Public Service Act does not have the right to receive work ability allowance.
(5) A person with partial work ability who is on academic leave does not have the right to receive work ability allowance unless the person is on academic leave for health reasons or meets at least one of the conditions provided for in subsection (1) of this section.
(6) A person who is serving a sentence in prison or is held in custody does not have the right to receive work ability allowance.
(7) A person does not have the right to receive work ability allowance for the days the person is serving a sentence in a house of detention.
(1) Calculation of work ability allowance shall be based on the daily rate of work ability allowance provided for in § 14 of this Act (hereinafter daily rate).
2) for a person with no work ability – 100 per cent of the daily rate.
(3) If the income of a person with partial or no work ability during the calendar month preceding the payment of work ability allowance exceeds 90 times the daily rate in force, the amount of his or her allowance shall be recalculated by reducing his or her allowance for the month of payment of work ability allowance by an amount which is half of the difference between his or her income and 90 times the daily rate.
(31) If the recipient of work ability allowance has proved that the income of the recipient during the calendar month preceding the payment of work ability allowance exceeded 90 times the daily rate in force because of the time of payment of the holiday pay, the sickness benefit paid by the employer or the benefit for temporary incapacity for work or because of the time of payment of remuneration or allowance which changed for a reason independent of the recipient of work ability allowance, income is deemed to be received in the calendar month when it would have been paid had the specified circumstances not occurred.
(33) If the recipient of work ability allowance has proved that the recipient provided services on the basis a contract under the law of obligations with the duration of over one month and the recipient was paid remuneration for fewer months than the duration of the contract, the unemployment insurance fund may divide the amount of the paid remuneration by the number of the calendar months of the duration of the contract.
(4) The month of payment of work ability allowance is the calendar month for which the allowance is paid.
(5) The income during one calendar month specified in subsection (3) of this section shall be calculated taking into account the information of the Tax and Customs Board concerning the remuneration on which social tax is paid on the basis of clauses 2 (1) 1), 3), 4), 6) and 9) of the Social Tax Act, information about the amount on which tax is paid on the basis of the Simplified Business Income Taxation Act and information concerning remuneration received from a foreign state. Unemployment insurance benefit, parental benefit, benefit for temporary incapacity for work and sickness benefit paid by employer are deemed to be income.
(6) If work ability allowance is granted to a person with partial or no work ability for the period for which the person was paid unemployment allowance, the work ability allowance paid for the same period shall be reduced by the amount of the unemployment allowance.
(7) Work ability allowance shall be reduced by the amount of the allowance, pension or other monetary compensation paid by a foreign state for the same purpose as work ability allowance.
(1) The daily rate of work ability allowance is 11.25 euros.
(2) The unemployment insurance fund shall index the amount of daily rate on 1 April each year by the index of state pensions established on the basis of subsection 26 (6) of the State Pension Insurance Act based on the daily rate in force on 31 March of the given calendar year. Upon calculation of the daily rate, the amount shall be rounded after indexation to the accuracy of one cent.
(3) The unemployment insurance fund shall publish the amount of the daily rate in force on its website.
(1) A person who has been established to have partial or no work ability shall submit an application for work ability allowance to the unemployment insurance fund. An application for work ability allowance may be submitted together with an application for assessment of work ability.
(2) In the case provided for in subsection 6 (2) of this Act, an application for work ability allowance may be submitted together with an application for assessment of work ability to the unemployment insurance fund through the Social Insurance Board.
2) information concerning the circumstances provided for in § 12 of this Act.
(4) If the information specified in clause (3) 2) of this section cannot be obtained from databases, the unemployment insurance fund has the right to request from the applicant documents which certify the circumstances provided for in § 12 of this Act.
(5) The date on which the application for work ability allowance is submitted to the unemployment insurance fund or in the case specified in subsection 6 (2) of this Act to the Social Insurance Board shall be deemed to be the date of submission of the application. If the application for work ability allowance is sent by post, the date on the date stamp of the place from which the application was sent is deemed to be the date of submission of the application.
(1) Work ability allowance shall be granted to a person as of the date of submission of the application for work ability allowance but not earlier than as of the date of meeting the conditions provided for in this Act until the end of the term for which partial or no work ability has been established.
(11) Work ability allowance shall be granted to a person as of the day following the end of the period of payment of work ability allowance in force if the application for work ability allowance is submitted within the term specified in subsection 8 (3) of this Act.
3) the person meets the conditions provided for in this Act.
(3) The unemployment insurance fund shall make a decision on the grant of work ability allowance to a person specified in subsections (1) and (11) of this section within ten working days as of the date of receipt of the application for work ability allowance and documents appended thereto but not earlier than within ten working days as of the date of making the decision concerning the assessment of work ability.
(4) The unemployment insurance fund shall make a decision on the grant of work ability allowance to a person specified in subsection (2) of this section within ten working days as of the date of extinguishment of the right to receive sickness benefit pursuant to subsection 57 (1) of the Health Insurance Act but not earlier than within ten working days as of the date of making the decision concerning the assessment of work ability.
(5) The unemployment insurance fund shall deliver a decision on the grant of work ability allowance specified in subsections (3) and (4) of this section to a person by electronic means, by sending an unregistered letter or at the local department of the unemployment insurance fund.
(1) The unemployment insurance fund shall pay work ability allowance monthly by the tenth day of the given calendar month for the previous calendar month.
4) to the bank account of the person in a foreign state at the expense of the recipient.
(3) Upon submission of a justified request, the unemployment insurance fund shall pay work ability allowance to a person with a profound disability whose movement is restricted or who lives in low density area and who has scarce access to bank services as home delivery by post at the expense of the unemployment insurance fund.
(4) If a person was held in custody but was acquitted, the work ability allowance shall be paid retroactively for the period the person was held in custody.
2) refuses without good reason to comply with the individual action plan provided for in § 10 of the Labour Market Services and Benefits Act or the suitable work provided for in subsections 12 (3) and (4) of the same Act – as of the day following the date on which the circumstances which affect the right to receive the allowance arise.
(3) If the registration as unemployed and payment of work ability allowance of a person is terminated during the time the payment of his or her work ability allowance was suspended and the person is re-registered as unemployed, the person shall have the right to receive work ability allowance after the end of the period of suspension.
(4) The unemployment insurance fund shall make a decision on suspension of the payment of work ability allowance within five working days as of the date of becoming aware of the circumstances which constitute the basis for suspension.
(5) The unemployment insurance fund shall deliver the decision specified in subsection (4) of this section to a person by electronic means, by sending an unregistered letter or at the local department of the unemployment insurance fund.
2) the person does not meet any of the conditions provided for in clauses 12 (1) 1)–6) and 8)–14) of this Act – as of the day following the date on which the circumstances which constitute the basis for termination arise.
3) as of the date the person no longer meets a condition provided for in clauses 12 (1) 1)–6) or 8)–14) of this Act, meets the same or another condition provided for in the referred clauses.
5) the work ability of the person is assessed during the period of duration of partial or no work ability, unless the application for work ability allowance was submitted within the term provided for in subsection 8 (3) of this Act – as of the date of the beginning of the period of reassessment of work ability and work ability allowance related thereto.
(4) In the cases provided for in clauses (3) 1), 2), 4) or 5) of this section, the unemployment insurance fund shall make a decision on termination of the payment of allowance within 15 working days as of the date of becoming aware of the circumstances which constitute the basis for termination.
(6) During proceedings in a matter, the unemployment insurance fund is required to establish the facts relevant to the matter and, if necessary, collect evidence on its own initiative for such purpose for the purposes of § 6 of the Administrative Procedure Act. The unemployment insurance fund shall not suspend or terminate the payment of work ability allowance before establishing the facts specified in subsections 18 (1) and (2) or 19 (1) of this Act.
(1) In order to ensure an income, work ability allowance shall be continued to be paid to a person who has been assessed to have partial or no work ability on the basis of this Act and who has submitted new applications for assessment of work ability and for work ability allowance within the term provided for in subsection 8 (3) of this Act provided the term for which partial or no work ability has been established by the previous decision concerning the assessment of work ability has ended and the unemployment insurance fund has extended the term for processing the application for assessment of work ability for a reason independent of the person.
(2) Work ability allowance shall be paid in the case provided for in subsection (1) of this section in the amount currently granted from the day following the end of the previous period of payment of work ability allowance until the end of the calendar month of making the decision on the grant of work ability allowance.
(3) If work ability allowance has been paid to a person on the basis of subsection (1) of this section, the person shall not be paid work ability allowance for the same period on the basis of § 16 (11) of this Act. If on the basis of a new decision on the grant of work ability allowance the allowance is bigger than the allowance paid on the basis of subsection (1) of this section, the difference shall be compensated by the next payment of work ability allowance.
(4) The provisions of subsection 12 (1) and subsections 13 (3) and (5)–(7) of this Act shall not apply to the payment of work ability allowance on the basis of subsection (1) of this section.
(1) The unemployment insurance fund may reclaim from the recipient the work ability allowance granted and paid without legal basis.
(2) According to a written agreement entered into with the person, the person shall repay the allowance paid without legal basis at once or in parts according to a repayment profile or it shall be withheld from the allowance paid for the following calendar months at once or in parts.
(3) If a written agreement is not reached or the person fails to fulfil the agreement, the unemployment insurance fund has the right to withhold the overpaid amount from the work ability allowance at once or in parts. Upon withholding work ability allowance, at least 50 per cent of the amount payable shall be retained.
(4) On the basis of subsections (2) and (3) of this section, 50 per cent of the amount payable may be withheld from work ability allowance. With the written consent of the person, more than 50 per cent of the amount payable may be withheld.
(5) If payment of work ability allowance is terminated before repayment of the overpaid amount and the recipient of work ability allowance fails to repay the overpaid amount, a precept together with a warning shall be issued for reclamation of the overpaid amounts. Upon failure to comply with the precept within a term set out in the warning, the unemployment insurance fund has the right to issue a precept for compulsory enforcement pursuant to the procedure provided in the Code of Enforcement Procedure.
(6) The precept specified in subsection (5) of this section shall be delivered by electronic means or by sending a registered letter with advice of delivery.
The unemployment insurance fund shall reclaim the work ability allowance paid to a person from an insurer engaging in motor third party liability insurance if the right of claim against the insurer engaging in motor third party liability insurance arises for the person who receives work ability allowance.
A person is required to immediately notify the unemployment insurance fund of circumstances which affect his or her right to receive work ability allowance and the amount thereof, including settlement or commencement of employment in a foreign state and remuneration, unemployment insurance benefit, parental benefit, benefit for temporary incapacity for work, pension, and benefit, pension or allowance related to work ability received in a foreign state.
(1) Database of work ability assessment and work ability allowance (hereinafter database) is a database within the state information system which is maintained for the assessment of work ability, payment of work ability allowance and payment of social tax for an employee with partial or no work ability in special cases.
(2) The controller of the database shall be the unemployment insurance fund.
4) information on keeping account of special cases of paying social tax.
(4) The database and its statutes shall be established by a regulation of the minister responsible for the area.
12) for the determination of the right to a state guarantee provided for in subsection 22 (2) of the Study Allowances and Study Loans Act – information about the decision concerning the assessment of work ability.
4) for the determination of the amount of work ability allowance – the information concerning permanent incapacity for work, date of re-examination and amount of the pension for incapacity for work paid.
(21) The Tax and Customs Board has the right to receive the information concerning the period of partial or no work ability established for a person from the unemployment insurance fund for the performance of its functions provided by legislation.
(22) The Tax and Customs Board has the right to receive the information concerning the period of receipt of a pension for incapacity for work or a national pension on the basis of incapacity for work by a person from the Social Insurance Board for the performance of its functions provided by legislation.
(3) In the cases provided by law, health care providers, persons who have completed medical training or other persons have the right to process the information of the health information system specified in subsection 7 (4) of this Act contained in the expert opinion provided upon the assessment of work ability.
A person who finds that his or her rights are violated or his or her freedoms are restricted in the course of assessment of work ability or grant and payment of work ability allowance may file a challenge with the unemployment insurance fund.
The Ministry of Social Affairs (hereinafter administrative supervisory authority) shall exercise administrative supervision over the performance of the obligations of the unemployment insurance fund provided for in this Act. The administrative supervisory authority has the right to involve experts in the exercise of administrative supervision.
2) issue precepts to the unemployment insurance fund for the termination of violations of the requirements provided by this Act or legislation established on the basis thereof, for prevention of further violations and elimination of the consequences of violations.
(3) Upon failure to comply with a precept, the administrative supervisory authority may impose a penalty payment pursuant to the procedure provided for in the Substitutive Enforcement and Penalty Payment Act. The upper limit for a penalty payment is 640 euros.
(2) The administrative supervisory authority shall send the precept to the unemployment insurance fund within ten working days as of the issue of the precept.
(3) If the unemployment insurance fund does not agree with the precept, the unemployment insurance fund has the right to file a challenge with the minister responsible for the area within one month after the receipt of the precept.
(1) This Act shall apply from 1 July 2016 until 31 December 2016 to a person who has not been declared permanently incapacitated for work on the basis of the State Pension Insurance Act after 1 July 2010 or whose category of disability has not been determined for an unspecified term on the basis of the State Allowances Act.
(2) A person who has been declared permanently incapacitated for work for a period of at least two years on the basis of the State Pension Insurance Act by the last examination for establishing permanent incapacity for work and who submits an application for assessment of work ability on the basis of this Act at the latest on the date of re-examination set out in the results of the examination for establishment of permanent incapacity for work and who is established to have partial or no work ability or a person whose category of disability determined for an unspecified term on the basis of the State Allowances Act has been deemed to correspond to the permanent incapacity for work determined until the pensionable age with a 40 to 100 per cent loss of capacity for work pursuant to § 58 of the State Pension Insurance Act shall be paid work ability allowance in an amount equal to the pension for incapacity for work last paid to the person on the basis of the State Pension Insurance Act per calendar day if the work ability allowance paid on the basis of this Act per calendar day is less. The amount of pension for incapacity for work paid on the basis of the State Pension Insurance Act per calendar day is calculated by dividing the total amount of the pension for incapacity for work paid for one month by 30.
(3) The provisions of this Act concerning work ability allowance apply to work ability allowance paid in the amount provided for in subsection (2) of this section.
(4) Work ability allowance paid in the amount provided for in subsection (2) of this section shall not be indexed.
(5) If the unemployment insurance fund establishes also by a re-assessment that a person specified in subsection (2) of this section has partial or no work ability, subsections (2)–(4) of this section shall apply to the amount of work ability allowance paid to the person.
(6) If the work ability of a person has been assessed on the basis of this Act and the person submits an application for work ability allowance during the period of duration of permanent incapacity for work established by the Social Insurance Board, the work ability allowance shall be granted as of the day following the date of extinguishment of the right to receive pension for incapacity for work or national pension paid on the basis of incapacity for work.
(7) In order to ensure an income for a person upon the transfer from the payment of pension for incapacity for work to the payment of work ability allowance, the unemployment insurance fund shall make an advance payment of work ability allowance to a person who has submitted applications for assessment of work ability and for work ability allowance on the date of re-examination of permanent incapacity for work. The advance payment shall be made after the grant of work ability allowance at the latest by the tenth day of the month following the calendar month of extinguishment of the right to receive pension for incapacity for work.
(71) Within five days as of the grant of work ability allowance but not before the extinguishment of the right to receive pension for incapacity for work or national pension paid on the basis of incapacity for work, the unemployment insurance fund shall make for the purpose specified in subsection (7) of this section an advance payment of work ability allowance to a person who has submitted applications for assessment of work ability and for work ability allowance during the period of duration of permanent incapacity for work but after the date of re-examination.
(72) Within five days as of the extension of the term for processing the application for assessment of work ability but not before the extinguishment of the right to receive pension for incapacity for work or national pension paid on the basis of incapacity for work, the unemployment insurance fund shall make for the purpose specified in subsection (7) of this section an advance payment calculated on the basis of the pension for incapacity for work to a person who has submitted applications for assessment of work ability and for work ability allowance during the period of duration of permanent incapacity for work and for whom the term for processing the application for assessment of work ability has been extended for a reason independent of the person. If the advance payment calculated on the basis of the pension for incapacity for work is smaller than the granted work ability allowance, the difference between the work ability allowance and advance payment shall be compensated by the next payment of work ability allowance.
(8) The amount of the work ability allowance specified in subsections (7) and (71) of this section shall be equal to the work ability allowance granted to the person for one calendar day multiplied by the number of the calendar days of the month of payment thereof.
(81) The amount of the advance payment specified in subsection (72) of this section shall be equal to the daily rate calculated on the basis of pension for incapacity for work and paid to the person multiplied by the number of the calendar days of the month of payment thereof. The daily rate is calculated by dividing the total amount of the pension for incapacity for work paid for one month by 30.
(9) Upon making of the advance payment specified in subsections (7)–(72) of this section, the provisions of subsection 12 (1) and subsections 13 (3) and (5)–(7) of this Act shall not apply.
The Government of the Republic shall organise the planning of a policy for the employment of at least 1000 persons with reduced work ability in the general government sector by the year 2020 pursuant to the procedure for preparation and implementation of development documents provided for in legislation.
(1) This Act enters into force on 1 July 2016.
(2) Clause 49 4) and clauses 55 6)–8) and 15) of this Act enter into force on 1 January 2015.
(3) Clauses 46 1)–4) and 6), clause 55 14), clauses 57 1)–5), 8), 9), 11)–22), 24)–32) and 34) and § 58 of this Act enter into force on 1 January 2017.
(4) Clause 57 35) of this Act enters into force on 1 January 2017.
(5) Clause 48 3) of this Act enters into force on 1 July 2021.
(6) Clauses 66 2) and 3) of this Act enter into force on 1 January 2016.

References: § 14
 § 12
 § 12
 § 10
 § 6
 § 16
 § 58
 § 58