Discretionary multidisciplinary individual rehabilitation
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What is discretionary multidisciplinary individual rehabilitation?
Discretionary multidisciplinary individual rehabilitation is intended for children, teens and adults who need support with an illness or medical condition with a broad range of symptoms that cause a variety of problems. The illness or condition may also be so complex that it requires a rehabilitation plan that is tailored more closely to the rehabilitation client’s needs. The rehabilitation course will be held on the service provider’s premises, and it includes both individual and group rehabilitation. A multidisciplinary team will be in charge of the rehabilitation programme.
The rehabilitation course is free of charge.
Can you get discretionary multidisciplinary individual rehabilitation?
You may qualify for discretionary multidisciplinary individual rehabilitation if your illness or condition causes you many kinds of problems.
Adults aged 18 or over can get the following kinds of discretionary multidisciplinary individual rehabilitation:
- Individual rehabilitation for persons with musculoskeletal disorders, rheumatic diseases and systemic disorders
- Individual rehabilitation for persons with neurological disorders
- Individual rehabilitation for persons with sensory disorders (a vision or hearing impairment or combined vision and hearing loss)
Children and teens under 18 can get the following kinds of discretionary multidisciplinary individual rehabilitation:
- Individual rehabilitation for persons with neurological disorders and systemic disorders
- Individual rehabilitation for persons with sensory disorders (a vision or hearing impairment)
Multidisciplinary individual rehabilitation services may also be granted as intensive medical rehabilitation. More information about intensive medical rehabilitation.
Aim of rehabilitation
The aim of multidisciplinary individual rehabilitation is to improve or maintain your ability to manage in your daily life and to work and study despite your illness or medical condition.
How rehabilitation works
Multidisciplinary individual rehabilitation will be held on the service provider’s premises. The rehabilitation can last up to 15 working days (Monday to Friday). If the goal of the rehabilitation course is to help you adapt to changes in your life situation, the course will last for 5 working days.
The rehabilitation needs and goals of each participant are taken into account. At the beginning of the rehabilitation course, a multidisciplinary team will set rehabilitation goals and make a personal rehabilitation programme for you.
You can stay overnight at the rehabilitation facility or travel there from home each day. The facility offers accommodation in two-person rooms (double rooms). If you want to stay in a single room, you can ask the service provider if they have single rooms available. You have to pay the extra costs of staying in a single room yourself.
An adult family member or friend aged 18 or over can join you and accompany you for up to 5 days. They will usually stay in the same double room with you.
The rehabilitation is offered separately in Finnish and Swedish (with the exception of individual rehabilitation for persons with sensory disorders, where rehabilitation is offered in Finnish and includes interpreter assistance for Swedish-speaking clients).
The course is offered in Finnish to Sámi-speaking customers. They can be assigned an interpreter if necessary.
The child’s family accompanies the child for the entire duration of the rehabilitation course. Family members chosen by the family will participate in the rehabilitation course granted to a teen either for the entire duration or for part of it if the family has agreed that it is the best option in the teen’s case. In that case, the goal of the rehabilitation may be, for example, to support the teen in becoming independent.
The child or teen can be accompanied by 1–2 adults and 1–2 siblings over the age of 2. All siblings under the age of 2 can accompany the child or teen. If the child or teen has more than 2 siblings over the age of 2, we will check if the participation of all siblings is justified in that it can have a positive impact on the rehabilitation of the child or teen. We will also contact the service provider to ask if several siblings can participate in the rehabilitation.
You can stay overnight at the rehabilitation facility or travel there from home each day.
The facility offers accommodation in two-person rooms (double rooms). The family can stay together in a family room when family rooms are available. If a family member or the teen participating in the rehabilitation wants to stay in a single room, you can ask the service provider if single rooms are available. You have to pay the extra costs of staying in a single room yourself.
The rehabilitation course is offered in Finnish. If you speak Swedish or one of the Sámi languages, Kela will provide an interpreter for you.
The experts involved in your rehabilitation
The following experts will plan and manage your rehabilitation programme:
- a specialist
- a registered nurse
- a physiotherapist
- a social worker
- a psychologist or a neuropsychologist.
How to apply
If you want to apply for discretionary multidisciplinary individual rehabilitation, you need a medical statement B (B-lausunto) or a medical statement BC (BC-lausunto) issued by a doctor, or some other statement on your health, such as a copy of your medical history (sairauskertomus). The medical statement B, medical statement BC or health statement must state what condition you have that qualifies you for rehabilitation and what kind of rehabilitation is recommended for you and why.
The medical statement B, medical statement BC or health statement must be dated within the past year.
After you get your medical statement B, medical statement BC or health statement, do as follows:
- Complete the application form for discretionary rehabilitation KU 132 (PDF, in Finnish).
- Save the blank form to your device. Do not fill in the form directly in the browser because some of the information may not be saved that way.
- Open the form with Adobe Reader and fill it in.
- Tell us in the application which service provider’s rehabilitation you want to participate in. Look for a service provider that has the right to provide discretionary rehabilitation services. The service provider you choose can be located anywhere in Finland. Use Kela’s service provider search to look up rehabilitation service providers (available in Finnish and Swedish).
- Save the completed application form on your device. Note that the application must be in PDF format.
- Send the application in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish). The parents or guardians of a child under the age of 18 can apply for rehabilitation in OmaKela on behalf of their child.
- Log in to OmaKela and select Tee hakemus tai ilmoita muutoksista (Submit an application or report changes). If you want to apply for rehabilitation on behalf of someone else, go to Asioi toisen henkilön puolesta (Act on behalf of another person). Read more about acting on behalf of another person.
- First select Sairastaminen ja kuntoutus (Sickness and rehabilitation). Then select Kuntoutus (Rehabilitation). Finally, select Harkinnanvarainen kuntoutus (Discretionary rehabilitation).
- If you send your application to Kela in OmaKela, you do not need to sign it.
- If you have supporting documents, send them via OmaKela after you have submitted your application. If they are paper documents, you can photograph them.
- Send us a copy of your medical statement B, medical statement BC or the other statement on your health your doctor has issued to you as a supporting document with your application.
- Visit OmaKela to see if Kela has made a decision on your application. We will also send the decision notice to the rehabilitation service provider. This tells the service provider that Kela will pay for the rehabilitation, and the service provider will reserve a place for you on the rehabilitation course.
If you cannot use OmaKela, mail your application to Kela. Save the form to your device and fill it in after saving it. Print out the completed form and send it and any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
Apply for rehabilitation
Submit your application and supporting documents online.
Let us know if you cannot attend rehabilitation
Remember to tell Kela immediately if you cannot participate in the rehabilitation course. Let us know that you have to cancel by sending a message to us in the OmaKela e-service or by calling our customer service number for rehabilitation clients.
We recommend that you also contact the service provider to let them know you have to cancel.
Check if you can get rehabilitation allowance and travel cost reimbursements
Kuntoutusraha turvaa toimeentuloa kuntoutuksen ajalta. Kela voi korvata myös kuntoutukseen tehtyjä matkoja.
Kela pays rehabilitation allowance to give you financial security during rehabilitation. Kela may also reimburse you for rehabilitation-related travel costs.
What else is going on in your life?
Do you have an illness that prevents you from working or studying?
Find out if you qualify for sickness allowance (sairauspäiväraha) or partial sickness allowance (osasairauspäiväraha).
Do you have a chronic illness or a disability diagnosed by a doctor?
Find out if you qualify for disability allowance (vammaistuki).