Update: 05/04/2024 06:40
Issued by: 05/04/2024, 06:40
Prague – From next year, self-employed persons and contractors with sickness insurance could also have sick leave. In addition to sick leave, maternity, paternity, regular and long-term nursing care should also start to be processed electronically. The proposed amendment on health insurance, which the government is going to discuss on Tuesday, takes this into account. The standard also anchors the integrated information system of the Ministry of Labour, which includes the systems of individual departmental offices.
Starting next year, self-employed persons (OSVČ) should also have nursing allowances. It could also be received by contractors or people with small-scale jobs. However, they would have to pay at least the previous three months of sick leave. For self-employed persons, even a shorter period would be sufficient, if they were previously employed and applied to pay contributions within eight days after leaving work.
E-payments for sick leave have been introduced in the Czech Republic since 2020. According to the amendment, substantial sick leave benefits, namely maternity, ordinary and long-term care benefits, equalization allowance during pregnancy and maternity, and paternity benefits should also start to be handled electronically from next year.
If the doctor decides on maternity or nursing pay, he sends a confirmation to the social administration. Similarly, hygienists should proceed with infirmary fees when ordering quarantine or closing schools and kindergartens. Employers who report paternity or other events of their employees should also get involved. Self-employed persons (OSVČ) will then request the social administration electronically themselves. It will be possible to send forms via the ePortal of the Czech Social Security Administration.
Successfully completed doctoral studies should also be included in the period for entitlement to maternity leave. Women who are not entitled to maternity leave could be on sick leave. The doctor could expose them to incapacitation six weeks before the birth and for six months.
The amendment also regulates the procedure for self-employed persons applying for a reduction of the monthly assessment basis or for non-payment of advances in the event of a drop in income by at least a third compared to the previous year.
The limitation period is changed to preclusive, the ten-year period is to be shortened to six years. The social administration should write off insurance premium debt and penalties of up to 300 crowns. Now it’s up to a hundred crowns. The departmental integrated information system should be adjusted, the systems of individual offices should be covered.
According to the documents for the law, after the introduction of nursing home fees for the self-employed and contractors, the number of cases could increase by roughly 2.5 percent. Expenditures could rise by about 29 million crowns annually. The authors of the proposal pointed out that from this year, after the renewal of workers’ health insurance, income from contributions will increase.
According to the Ministry of Labour, the modification of systems and applications for the electronic processing of sickness benefits should cost about 131.8 million crowns including VAT. Money from the National Recovery Plan is to be used. The state is then supposed to cover operating costs of about 18.2 to 29.7 million crowns per year. Additional expenses for digitization and other applications should amount to 13 to 54.5 million crowns.
