If you are not capable of working

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If you fall ill as a jobseeker, seek medical care and ask for sick leave, if necessary. Employment services will guide you to the services that best suit you.

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If you fall ill as a jobseeker

Visit your local health station. Ask for sick leave, if the illness prevents you from applying for work or accepting work.
Keep your job application valid. If the duration of your sick leave exceeds two weeks, submit your sick leave certificate (medical certificate A) to an employment services specialist.
If the illness persists, apply for sickness allowance from Kela(Link leads to external service). Once you have applied for sickness allowance, it will be easier for you to apply for rehabilitation. Kela will ask you to obtain a medical certificate B from your doctor at the latest when you have been ill for 60 days.
During the sickness allowance waiting period (the first day of illness and the following nine working days), you can apply for unemployment benefits, if you are otherwise eligible for the benefits.
If you are incapacitated due to illness, employment services may offer you many different services.

Financial support for those unable to work

To be eligible for unemployment benefits, you must apply for full-time work corresponding to your work ability also during sick leave. If you are unable to look for work, you may be eligible to apply for sickness allowance(Link leads to external service) or disability pension(Link leads to external service) instead of unemployment benefits.

If you are applying for sickness allowance, your work ability will be compared to your work. If you are applying for disability pension, your work ability will be compared to any work.

When you are unable to work

Do you have a treatment contact at your health station, specialised health care or occupational health care?

If yes, continue working with your treatment contact.
If not, contact your own health station or occupational health service. If necessary, contact your Employment Services Specialist for a referral.

Are you employed and have you received Kela sickness allowance for the maximum period (300 days)?

If yes, you will be referred to become a jobseeker so that you may be eligible to apply for unemployment benefits. Explain your situation to your Employment Services specialist.

Is your disability pension application pending or has it been rejected?

Tell your specialist about your situation.
If the application has been rejected, inform your assigned specialist about the grounds for rejection.
Review the decision. It may be in favour of vocational rehabilitation.
If you have appealed to the party from which you have received a rejection decision, you can provide them with further information on your situation during the processing period. Further information may include feedback from an employer, a work try-out, a training try-out or an occupational therapist. If your situation has changed, also provide a recent medical report.