4 Entitlement to benefits
Care allowance for a sick child
The home care of a sick child is supported by paying the family a care allowance if the
child’s illness and its care involve special financial or other burden on the family.
The care allowance is granted either for a fixed period or until the child is 16 years of
age, depending on how permanent the need for special care and rehabilitation is. The care
allowance for a sick child is a primary benefit, and other benefits or indemnities do not
constitute an obstacle to being granted this allowance. The entitlement does not depend on
the parents’ or the child’s income or property, and the allowance is non-taxable
income.
An increased care allowance is paid when the burden entailed by the care and
rehabilitation of the child is considerable, and a special care allowance is paid when
that burden is extremely big. Such children include those suffering from serious sensory
defects (deaf-blind), seriously mentally handicapped and seriously multi-handicapped
children. In 1998 the allowance was paid for 45,000 children.
Disability allowance
Disability allowance supports disabled persons aged between 16 and 64 to cope with
everyday life and to take part in working life and studies if they do not receive a full
pension. The economic situation of the applicant does not influence the entitlement to
disability allowance.
Disability allowance is payable to persons whose functional capacity has been reduced
owing to illness or impairment for at least one year. The lowest allowance is payable to
persons for whom the illness or impairment entails essential disadvantage and continuous
extra costs. Increased disability allowance is payable to persons whose illness or
impairment entails considerable disadvantage or who need regular assistance, guidance or
monitoring in their personal routines, household work and when shopping etc. or for whom
the impairment involves considerable special costs. A special disability allowance is paid
to persons who are seriously disabled and who need every day assistance, regular guidance
or monitoring in many of their everyday routines or for whom the illness or impairment
entails big special costs. At the end of 1998, disability allowance was received by 11,000
people.
Care allowance for pensioners
The purpose of the care allowance for pensioners is to support the domestic living and
care of those disabled persons who are in receipt of a pension and aged over 16. This
allowance is paid to refund a person whose functional capacity is reduced at least for a
year the costs of care and services or special costs.
The income and property of the persons does not affect their entitlement to the
allowance. The lowest care allowance is payable to persons who need regular assistance,
guidance and monitoring in their everyday routines, household work and when going shopping
or whose illness or impairment entails special costs. Increased care allowance is payable
to persons who need daily attentive assistance, regular guidance and monitoring, or whose
illness or impairment entails considerable extra costs. Special care allowance is payable
to people who are in need of constant care and monitoring or whose illness or impairment
entails big special costs. In 1998 more than 145,000 persons were in receipt of care
allowance for pensioners.
Disability pension
People’s entitlement to disability pension is based on their inability to earn a
reasonable living by themselves owing to illness. The National Pensions Act does not
define exactly how large earnings are to be considered as reasonable income, and in
practice this is determined individually. This pension can be withdrawn if the
pensioner’s health and working capacity has essentially improved or the pensioner has
had continuous earnings and is considered to have a reasonable income. If the person
becomes disabled anew, the payment of the withdrawn pension can start again within two
years from the date from which it was withdrawn.
In order to facilitate the transition to working life, a person in receipt of full
disability pension can leave his or her pension dormant for a minimum of six months and a
maximum of twelve months when trying to work. The person is paid for the same time a
disability allowance of FIM 1796 a month. If the entry into working life does not succeed,
a person can again receive a disability pension.
Tax allowance for the disabled
Persons with disabilities are entitled to considerable income-tax allowance. A person
is entitled to this tax allowance if he or she has a permanent handicap caused by illness,
defect or impairment, and his or her degree of disability is at least 30 per cent. A
person with a disability degree of 100 per cent is entitled to full income-tax allowance.
In 1996 there were about 718, 000 people entitled to income-tax allowance for the
disabled in state taxation and 378,000 people in municipal taxation. About three out of
four beneficiaries are pensioners. The tax allowance for pensioners is directed to a large
number of people, of whom only a small part are seriously disabled persons. Owing to small
income the majority of seriously disabled persons do not benefit from this tax allowance.
Refund of automobile tax
According to the law persons with disabilities can be refunded the automobile tax
included in the price of a car either wholly or partly. The amount varies according to the
quality and seriousness of the impairment. The maximum refund is FIM 29,600, and can be
received at three years’ intervals. Even families of children with disabilities may
be entitled to this refund. Automobile tax is refunded yearly to 1,500 persons.
Exemption of self-employed persons from value-added tax
Some disabled adults are self-employed. The exemption from value-added tax covers
mainly disabled entrepreneurs engaged in traditional occupations in handicraft and repair
sectors. The exemption only applies to the sale of goods and work performance when the
seller is a person whose working and functional capacity is reduced by at least 70 per
cent, presupposing, in addition, that the seller himself/herself has manufactured the
goods. For instance entrepreneurship in the computer-aided service branches, that is
common among young people with disabilities, is not covered. On average 500 - 1000
disabled entrepreneurs benefit to some extent from the exemption from value-added tax.
The birth of a disabled child involves much stress for most families. Social welfare
and health care professionals help parents of disabled children by giving them support and
information on disability at an early stage, preferably starting at the maternity
hospital. Child health clinics monitor and support the development of children, and an
effort is made to detect any developmental retardation as early as possible. If needed,
children are referred to continued examinations and to specialised services within social
welfare and health care. The medical, educational and social rehabilitation of children
with disabilities and their families is started immediately after the impairment, illness
or retardation in development has been detected.
Parents are entitled to municipal day care at a day care centre or within family day
care for their children under school age. The best possible day care alternative is tried
to be found for each disabled child: family care is suitable for some children, day care
centre for others. In day care disabled children are primarily integrated into the same
group with other children, but care can also be provided in special groups. Parents can
also receive financial support if they choose private care. If parents want to take care
of their children under 3 at home, they are paid home care allowance. On certain
conditions home care allowance is also payable for children older than that. Parents pay a
fee for day care determined on the basis of the family’s size and income. Special
services, such as personal assistance in day care, and rehabilitation and aids are free of
charge.
In school the learning and development of children with disabilities, as well as their
parents are supported by a team consisting of the school health nurse, special education
teacher, school social worker and school psychologist, and if necessary, a doctor and
speech therapist. Health care is responsible for medical rehabilitation. Seriously
disabled children are entitled to rehabilitation organised by the Social Insurance
Institution. Adaptation training for children with disabilities and their families is
arranged by municipalities, the Social Insurance Institution and disability organisations.
Parents of children with disabilities can apply for various financial benefits paid by
the Social Insurance Institution. The most important of these are the care allowance and
special care allowance for children. Care allowance is paid to parents if the child’s
care involves special burden in terms of care or financially at least for six months.
Special care allowance compensates for the loss of earnings during the time parents are
caring for the child or staying with the child at a hospital or out-patient clinic.
A variety of services is provided by different service providers to children with
disabilities and their families. Parents are not always aware of which services and
benefits they are entitled to. Therefore the authorities draw up with the parents a
service plan including all the services and benefits needed by the child. A contact person
is appointed to act as a link between the family and different authorities.
6 Instruction and education of children
Disabled children and young people are entitled to participate in all education on an
equal footing with their peers. Disabled children often attend comprehensive school along
with their peers, receiving in addition, if necessary, special or remedial instruction.
Furthermore, some disabled children are instructed in a special class in an ordinary
school, while others attend a special school, for instance where sign language is used.
Sign language has in Finland status as a language of instruction. Starting from 1999 it
can be taught as the mother tongue in the comprehensive school, upper secondary schools
and vocational education institutions.
The compulsory education of children with disabilities lasts a year longer than that of
other children, 11 years. The municipality is responsible for providing children covered
by extended compulsory education pre-school instruction for one or two years. This applies
to mentally handicapped children, hearing and visually impaired children, children with
serious mobility impairment and children suffering from a serious illness. These children
are entitled to attend municipal comprehensive school or to receive instruction is some
other way.
Disabled pupils are entitled to free interpreter services and assistance if it is
necessary for participating in instruction, to other instruction services and pastoral
care of pupils, aids and support services related to special education, such as
rehabilitation in connection with instruction. Pupils of vocational institutions or upper
secondary schools can also receive personal assistance. School transport of seriously
disabled children is free of charge.
A disabled person studying at a university is entitled to services and financial
support from his or her home municipality and the Social Insurance Institution. The Social
Insurance Institution grants those studying at universities the aids needed in
rehabilitation as well as a rehabilitation allowance. Municipal social authorities provide
them with personal assistance and transport services.
|