Diagnosis of cancer is associated not only with long and burdensome treatment and changes in the current lifestyle, but also often with additional expenses. Fortunately, you can use the help of many institutions (for example ours!) that offer various forms of financial and material support. Below is a short list of options for those who need help.
WHAT CAN A SICK PERSON COUNT ON?
Obtaining various forms of support certainly makes it easier to have a disability certificate. Where to get them? First of all, you must remember that they operate in Poland two types of such judgments. The first one seems for pension purposes (then an appropriate application must be submitted to ZUS/KRUS), and the second - for non-annuity purposes (the application is submitted to the District or Municipal Disability Assessment Team). The application must be accompanied by copies of documents justifying the need to grant such a decision - e.g. a medical certificate, copies of hospital treatment cards, etc. If the patient is unable to appear at the adjudication committee, a doctor's certificate confirming the inability to do so for health reasons should also be attached. will be issued in absentia. Obtaining one of the above-mentioned judgments does not exclude the possibility of obtaining the other one - you can have two :)
If the patient is a working person (and pays sickness insurance contributions) and is on sick leave as a result of illness, he or she may apply for sickness benefit. In the case of most diseases, this benefit is granted for a period of 182 days (the exceptions are tuberculosis and pregnancy). The amount of the benefit is calculated based on the average salary of the sick person over the last 12 months. The document constituting the basis for the payment of sickness benefit is a certificate of temporary incapacity for work issued on the ZUS ZLA form. More information on the ZUS website - sickness benefit.
If, after the sickness benefit period has expired, the patient is still unable to return to work (e.g. he or she is continuing chemotherapy or radiotherapy and has severe side effects), he or she may apply for rehabilitation services. This benefit is granted when further treatment or rehabilitation results in regaining the ability to work. It is granted for the period necessary to restore the ability to work, no longer than 12 months. The document necessary to establish the right to the benefit is a declaration submitted by the person applying for the benefit on ZUS form Np-7 at the ZUS branch competent for the place of residence, along with annexes. List of attachments and other necessary data available on the ZUS website - rehabilitation benefit.
Unfortunately, there are also situations when the patient cannot continue working. Then he can submit an application for the award disability benefits. In this case, the seniority criterion must be met, depending on the age of the person who wants to receive the pension. The incapacity for work and its degree are assessed by a ZUS medical examiner who also decides on the granting of a permanent or periodic pension, depending on the patient's health condition. The right to a disability pension and a training pension is established on the basis of an application (form ZUS Rp-1R) of the interested person or his/her representative, submitted in writing or orally to the minutes. The application can be submitted to the contribution payer (e.g. employer) or directly to the ZUS office. Detailed information is available on the ZUS website – pension.
If the patient is unable to work in his or her current profession, he or she may want to retrain and take up work in another position/occupation. Then it is possible to obtain training pension, usually granted for a period of 6 months (at the request of the starosta, this period may be extended to 36 months). The rules for granting and calculating its amount are similar to the disability pension.
Adults who have been diagnosed with total incapacity for work before the age of 18 (or before the age of 25 in the case of students and 26 years of age in the case of students and doctoral students) may also submit an application social pension. Total incapacity for work and its expected duration are determined by a ZUS medical examiner or a medical commission. The amount of the social pension is fixed and amounts to 84% of the lowest pension for total incapacity for work. More information on the ZUS website - social pension. Please remember that you cannot combine receiving a social pension with other benefits (e.g. old-age pension, disability pension, etc.) - the exception is survivor's pension, depending on its amount.
If you have been granted a disability pension, you can also submit an application for it care supplement. It is available to people who have been diagnosed with total incapacity for work and receive a pension/pension on this account. It is awarded on the basis of an assessment by a ZUS medical examiner. In the case of people who have a determined inability to live independently (e.g. in the case of a serious, terminal illness) - the amount of the care allowance is increased by 50%. Detailed information on the ZUS website - care allowance.
In addition to ZUS, it also provides assistance to disabled people State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons (PFRON). Obtaining assistance from this source is closely related to having a disability certificate, it also depends on the amount of income obtained and, in some cases, on the degree of disability.
What you can count on from PFRON:
– assistance in purchasing a wheelchair, car, adapting the apartment to the needs of a wheelchair user;
– financing of occupational therapy workshops and professional activation workshops;
– co-financing the salaries of disabled people, reimbursement of the costs of adapting/equipping a workplace for a disabled person;
– co-financing for starting/running a business, postgraduate studies, courses, etc.;
– co-financing for the purchase of rehabilitation equipment, hearing aids, etc.;
– co-financing of rehabilitation stays (once a year).
PFRON regularly publishes a bulletin called ABC of a disabled person. It is worth reading the current issue (1/2014).
In order to partially cover the expenses resulting from the need to provide care and assistance to another person due to the inability to live independently, you can receive care allowance in the amount of PLN 153. Unfortunately, it is not available to people who already receive care allowance (from ZUS) or to people staying in institutions providing 24-hour free care. Details on the MPiPS website.
A single person who, due to illness, cannot perform everyday tasks independently (e.g. shopping, cleaning, cooking), should submit a application for guardianship – such necessity is decided by the doctor, and its scope, period and place of service are determined by the social welfare center. Care is paid and the hourly rate depends on, among others: on the sick person's income (usually does not exceed PLN 10 per hour). Some municipalities also allow for exemption from the fee. Information about care services is available on the website of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and on the websites of local social welfare centers, e.g. in Poznań.
WHAT ABOUT THE SICK PERSON'S FAMILY?
Sick people and their families can count on various forms of social assistance, which often depends on their financial situation. Upon request, you can obtain, among others: feeding for children (thus relieving even the sick parent and the household budget) can also be obtained place in a family care home or social welfare homesif family members are unable to provide proper care to the sick person. All these forms of assistance are regulated by regulations of the Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, and all information about them is available on the website of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and on the websites of local and regional family assistance centers/social assistance centers.
Depending on the amount of income in your family, you can submit an application application for housing and energy allowance. The conditions for granting them are available on the websites of individual family assistance centers/benefit centers, e.g. for Poznań.
At the same time, it is worth asking about the possibility of obtaining one permanent, periodic or specific benefit. Permanent benefit is granted to people unable to work due to age or disability, as long as they do not exceed the income criterion: PLN 477 for a single person or PLN 351 for a person in a family. The amount of this benefit depends on income, but cannot be lower than PLN 30 and higher than PLN 447. Periodic benefit is granted temporarily due to, for example, unemployment, illness or disability. The same income criterion applies as in the case of permanent benefits. Special purpose allowance granted, for example, for the purchase of medicine, fuel, winter shoes, and minor home repairs. Financial criteria also apply to this benefit.
Working people who have fallen ill, as well as their spouses, can apply for it a one-off allowance from the social fund at work yourself and/or your spouse. Allowances may also be paid by trade unions if the sick person and/or spouse belong to them. Information on this subject can be found on the website of the Company Social Benefits Fund www.zfśs.pl/zapomogi_pieniezne.html. Children (students) of sick people can also count on financial assistance in accordance with the regulations of their schools/universities.
CARER OF A SICK/DISABLED PERSON
If a sick person requires short-term care (e.g. after surgery), it is worth remembering: care allowance. This is an allowance paid to the caregiver of a sick person for a maximum of 14 days a year if the sick person is over 14 years old, and 60 days if the sick person is a child under 14 years of age. Information about the method of calculating the amount of the benefit, eligible persons and necessary documents is available on the ZUS website - care allowance.
It is also worth remembering about allowance for a caregiver of a disabled person (also called care benefit). As a rule, it is available to a person who has given up work to take care of a disabled family member. Currently, the amount of this benefit is PLN 620 and is granted regardless of the family income. Based on the government program supporting people receiving care benefits, it may be increased by an additional PLN 200. The application for establishing the right to the benefit is submitted together with the appropriate documents to the Municipal/Municipal Family Assistance Center. More information is available on the MPiPS website.
WHAT IS WORTH REMEMBERING
You can also seek help for a sick person from a Primary Health Care doctor (commonly known as a family doctor). He has the right to unsubscribe referral, e.g. to rehabilitation, to a sanatorium, for massages, etc. In addition, he writes orders for orthopedic equipment and auxiliary products, e.g. diapers, pads, stoma bags, insulin pumps, catheters, etc. In some cases, it is necessary for a specialist, e.g. an orthopedist, to write an order for the purchase of prostheses or orthopedic shoes.
Such equipment can be purchased in special medical equipment stores that have a contract with the National Health Fund. The purchase is subsidized only up to a certain amount. Above this amount, the patient covers the amount himself - but he can also ask PFRON for help in this respect. (More information about orders is at the end of this article.)
The role of palliative medicine doctors is often underestimated, but they are often irreplaceable. It is possible:
– free medical care with home transport;
– free medicines;
– rental of walkers, orthopedic crutches, special beds, wheelchairs, etc.;
– free nurse's care with home transport (possibility of connecting drips, etc. - unfortunately, you have to pay for infusion fluids, but it sometimes happens that the nurse buys it and the patient gives her the money, so there is no need to go to the pharmacy, for example).
It is worth looking for a palliative care center or hospice in your area - perhaps they also provide services outside their facility.
We must also not forget about foundations and associations – there are over 200 centers in Poland working for oncological patients! They help patients in various ways - from psychological assistance, through financing treatment, to hospice care. To obtain assistance, please contact the selected facility directly.
It is also worth using the help of other people - thanks to websites, it is possible, for example, to find a volunteer willing to help take care of a sick person, but you can also find plenty of offers for the sale of equipment, medicines, etc. at bargain prices (or even for free!). visit, for example, www.gumtree.pl, www.allegro.pl or www.tablica.pl.
WHAT ELSE DOES A DISABILITY DECLARATION DO?
People with a valid disability certificate are entitled to various benefits discounts and discounts, e.g. for railway and bus tickets (it is worth familiarizing yourself with the regulations, because it depends on the degree of disability), free public transport, discounts for carers of disabled people, parking cards, license fee exemptions, telecommunications discounts, discounts on museum admission tickets... Detailed information is available on many websites dedicated to people with disabilities, e.g. niepełnosprawni.pl or on the websites of social welfare centers.
WHAT ABOUT THESE ORDERS?
The easiest way to find such information is in the Regulation of the Minister of Health of December 6, 2013 regarding the list of medical devices issued on request. Just download the file and check in the table who can write an order (e.g. for a wig, stoma bags, foundations), what is the limit of reimbursement by the National Health Fund and how often you can receive such an order. In turn, you can use the online search engine available on the National Health Fund website to check where the nearest point of sale of such products is.
Source: https://faqrak.pl/article/wsparcie-finansowe-w-czasie-leczenia-i-rehabilitacji
