Care allowance for pensioners

Persons who have moved to Finland from another country cannot be granted care allowance for pensioners until they have lived in Finland for 3 years. However, residence in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom also counts towards the requirement concerning period of residence.

Exception to the residence requirement of 3 years

As a rule, care allowance for pensioners cannot be granted until the person has lived in Finland for 3 years. However, the person may have the right to care allowance for pensioners immediately when moving to Finland, if their situation is either one of the following:

They received disability allowance for persons under 16 years of age until they reached the age of 16.

The illness has started or the disability occurred while they lived in Finland, and the payment of the care allowance starts before they reach the age of 19 years.

Persons who stay abroad temporarily, i.e. for a maximum of six months, may have the right to care allowance for pensioners from Finland also while living abroad.

In certain situations, the person can also get care allowance for pensioners if they live permanently in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom. The entitlement to the allowance depends for instance on the country from which the person gets a pension.

Kela’s Centre for International Affairs provides further information on the situations in which care allowance for pensioners can be granted.

In order to get disability allowance, the person must have a long-term disability or illness that has been diagnosed by a doctor. 

Note, however, that the diagnosis alone does not qualify the client for disability allowance.

A reduction in a person’s ability to function means that they may find it difficult to take care of themselves, manage household chores, do their shopping, or visit a doctor independently. The disability or illness must already have limited their ability to function for a period of at least 12 months or be likely to do so in Kela’s estimation.
 
Note, however, that a reduction in the ability to function does not, alone, qualify them for disability allowance. We will also assess how much help, guidance and supervision the they need.

In order to qualify for care allowance, the person must need help or guidance and supervision from another person e.g with the following activities: 

• getting around, dressing or washing 
• eating or remembering to eat or drink 
• seeing, hearing, speaking or keeping track of things 
• dealing with a health condition or taking medication 
• spending time outdoors (due to a risk of getting lost).

The help, guidance and supervision can take the form of e.g. reminders, encouragement or keeping an eye on the person. It does not matter who provides the help, guidance or supervision. It could be e.g. a loved one, the home help service or a home healthcare professional. The client may need an assistive device or interpreter assistance in their daily life. Note, however, that using or needing an assistive device does not, alone, qualify them to care allowance.

Also note that the care allowance is not available if the client only needs help with household chores or personal errands. However, persons who are blind or unable to move always have a right to at least the basic rate of care allowance.

The basic rate is for those who need at least weekly help or guidance and supervision in such activities as 

• getting around
• dressing
• personal hygiene
• eating
• taking medication

Customers who have a right to care allowance at the basic rate and who have an illness or disability that causes continuous extra expenses can get care allowance at the middle rate instead of the basic rate.

The middle rate is available to customers who need a lot of daily help or guidance and supervision in activities such as

• getting around
• dressing
• personal hygiene
• eating
• taking medication

Care allowance at the middle rate can be paid e.g. to customers with significant memory loss or balance issues or who cannot eat or take medication independently.

Customers who have a right to the basic rate of care allowance and who have an illness or disability that causes continuous additional expenses can get care allowance at the middle rate instead of the basic rate. Such additional expenses are referred to as special expenses. The special expenses must each month amount to at least the care allowance at the middle rate.

Special expenses include

• care fees for assisted living 
• home care and home healthcare fees 
• cleaning or shopping service fees 
• transport fees for meal service 
• visits to a doctor 
• rehabilitation and treatment prescribed by a doctor 
• medicines 
• travel costs related to rehabilitation or treatment

Care allowance at the highest rate is available to those who need treatment and supervision around the clock and are only able manage by themselves for brief periods of time. 

It can be paid for example to customers who need help with almost all activities who are mostly confined to bed. 

It is intended for veterans whom Kela pays front-veterans’ additional supplement and care allowance for pensioners at the middle or highest rate. 

No application is required as Kela is able to identify potential recipients on the basis of their current benefit status. The new disability supplement is provided under the Act on Disability Benefits and is paid out as a component of the care allowance for pensioners. 

The disability supplement for war veterans-employment grants is tax-free income. It does not reduce the amount of the housing allowance for pensioners, and it is also available to veterans undergoing inpatient treatment.

• A medical statement C or a medical statement BC issued within the past 6 months Alternatively, you can also enclose some other medical statement, such as a medical certificate B or a copy of your medical history, if they contain the information needed to decide the application. We need information about the customer’s illnesses, current functional status and health.
• If you already receive care allowance and live in or are moving to an assisted living facility or institutional care that provides round-the-clock geriatric care, you do not need to include a medical statement with your application for a review. A carefully completed application is sufficient.
• You can also enclose a statement, written for example by someone who is helping you, which describes how well you are coping in your daily life.

Kela can grant the allowance retrospectively for a maximum of 6 months. Retroactive payment is always considered from case to case.

You do not have to specify the period for which you are applying when filling in the application. Kela will instead determine the period for which the allowance is paid.

If you do not submit a medical statement with your application, we will set a deadline for you to provide the required documents or information. If you cannot provide the requested documents or further information by the specified deadline, you can call Kela and ask for an extension.

Please note that if we do not receive the requested document or information, we will have to turn down the application. We will review the application once we have received the necessary information.

Submit the application for continued payment and its supporting documents to Kela well in advance of the end of the payment period so that payment of the allowance is not interrupted. Applications for continued payment should be filed within six months of the end of the previous payment period.

A new medical statement is usually needed for an application for a higher rate of allowance. However, a new statement is not needed if you apply for a higher rate of allowance solely because of special expenses. In the Additional information section of the application, indicate that you are applying for a higher rate of allowance because of the expenses.