If due to a mental issue you are unable to work or your ability to work has decreased due to your health condition – you should check your entitlement to a general disability pension.
How to receive an allowance?
1. File a claim
If you meet the conditions of entitlement to an allowance - you must file a claim.
The claim must be accompanied by an opinion from a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist, a letter of hospitalization (if any) and any other medical document relevant to the issue.
If you have other disabilities - this may increase your medical disability, so it is advised to bring medical certificates for all other disabilities as well.
2. Attend a Medical Board for determining medical disability (mental disability)
After submitting the claim you will be scheduled for examination by a Medical Board that will determine your disability percentage, according to the list of deficiencies in sections 33 and 34 of the National Insurance Regulations.
The percentage of disability will be determined, among other things, by the severity of your illness, the medication you receive, the duration of the disorder and the number of seizures, the number of hospitalizations, your mental and social functioning, your ability to work and the need for supervision.
To be eligible for a general disability pension, the board must establish a medical disability of at least 60% or at least 40 – if you have several medical disabilities and have been determined, for one of them, a medical disability of at least 25%. For a housewife – 50% medical disability.
Important information!
You can get counseling and preparation for Medical Board free of charge at "Helping Hand" centers.
3. Determine your degree of incapacity
A degree of incapacity is determined only for those who have been granted a qualifying disability percentage by a Medical Board (as specified in section 2).
If you have a qualifying disability percentage and receive a degree of incapacity of 60%, 65%, 74% or 100% - you will be entitled to a pension. The amount of the benefit you will receive depends on your established degree of incapacity.
For more information on a general disability pension and related advantages granted to a pension recipient, click here.