There are fewer cases, but the record for “bulletins” was set in April of last year. What were the reasons for this?

Last year, Sodra paid € 434 million for sickness certificates – sickness benefits. This amount was 43 percent higher than a year ago (304.5 million euros).

Only in January-March of this year, Sodra paid 119.1 million. “newsletters” worth 36%. over a year ago.

Last year, the number of newsletters issued was also record. Usually about 75-80 thousand every month. times, disability certificates were issued, but the absolute record was reached in April last year: 185 thousand.

By comparison, even in December and January, when the pandemic situation peaked, the number of votes reached 100 and 120 thousand, respectively.

What Caused This?

Nursing or babysitting is required more often than COVID-19

“The number of sick leave certificates issued has increased more than the number of COVID-19 cases due to the closure of educational establishments in spring 2020 and winter 2021 for parents raising children attending preschool, preschool and primary. education from kindergarten to class 4 inclusive, disability certificates were issued for nursing work and their duration was greater than in cases of illness, and the number was higher. This has determined these trends “, explains Saulius Jarmalis, Head of the Communication Department of Sodra.

Swedbank chief economist Nerijus Mačiulis explains that parents had no other alternatives last year.

“The situation was related to the fact that the kindergartens did not work during the first quarantine. And it is clear that even those workers who have children of preschool age, or young children in general, had no alternative to work, or had no alternative to remote work, and were forced to use a certificate of inability to work. That’s what many did, “says N. Mačiulis.

During the second quarantine, the kindergartens, he said, were not closed and many parents adapted to the new reality: “Maybe they found babysitters, maybe they could find ways to combine work and childcare in other ways.” .

According to data provided by Sodra, last year COVID-19-related causes required about half of all certificates of incapacity for work during the first quarantine, the rest were due to other illnesses or accidents. During the second quarantine, COVID-19 demanded the largest number of “ballots” in mid-January.

Since this year, Sodra has been collecting more detailed data, which reveals that the certificates of incapacity for nursing work repeatedly exceed the certificates issued for the treatment of a real illness.

On average, a certificate of inability to work pays for 12 days; in May and June of last year, this indicator jumped to 24 and 28 days, respectively.

“It was during the first quarantine that this was not related to the disease, but to the lack of other alternatives for caring for young children. People were unable to work and were forced to stop working for a month or two during the quarantine. There were not so many illnesses, the hospitals weren’t overcrowded to deal with a pandemic. At that time we had fewer cases of flu and colds, ”says N. Mačiulis.

Sodra’s budget pays an average of 35 euros per sick day; This amount depends on the income of the people who have received a certificate of incapacity for work.

Employers fear that reading the “newsletter” will weed the gardens

Danukas Arlauskas, president of the Lithuanian Employers’ Confederation, notes that during this pandemic there are far fewer cases of employee bulletin abuse, but is concerned that after the end of downtime or allowances, it could become popular during the warm season. .

“I have not heard very big complaints lately, it is more in the past. However, I think it can start again normally, when the weather warms up and people have to go to work, and here the gardens and everything else. Then , traditionally every year. We are constantly appealing to the institutions to do something, the number of these “bulletins” is growing, and here it is no secret “, says D. Arlauskas.

He assures that business organizations were allies when decisions were made to pay for the disease from the first day of incapacity for work, but then the abuse began.

“Link to COVID-19 – I really don’t think so. However, at the beginning of the season it will be the same as every year,” says D. Arlauskas.

When asked whether employers themselves do not encourage employees to try to obtain sick leave certificates when there is no work during the off-season, he assured him that he had not heard of such cases.

Šarūnas Arlavičius, head of the Labor Law Division of the State Labor Inspectorate, also says that today far fewer employees are complaining about possible pressure from employers to obtain a disability certificate.

“It used to be, now these kinds of questions are not common in our country. If that happens, not as often as I used to take the newsletter. There really is no such interest,” assured Š. Arlavičius.

“As for last year, we did not even have inquiries about it. We hear more often from employer discontent that employees abuse and become unable to work,” confirmed Inga Ruginienė, president of the Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation.

Recover the benefit received in bad faith

“Sodra ensures that it constantly monitors the validity of the payment of sickness benefits and, in case of doubt about whether the certificate of incapacity for work has been reasonably issued, takes the necessary measures so that the social security fund does not suffer damages” . explains S. Jarmalis.

Last year, one of the most common “cases of injustice” was when parents were issued a certificate of incapacity for work to care for non-sick children of the upper classes, although in this case sickness benefit is not included. .

«In cases where it is established that the sickness benefit has already been paid on the basis of a certificate of incapacity for work issued unjustifiably, it will be recovered in accordance with the procedure established by legal acts. We collaborate with employers, residents and physicians who report potential disability abuses for work certificates and we evaluate suspected cases on an individual basis, ”says S. Jarmalis.

Mačiulis advises a positive assessment of higher budget expenditures

Despite record numbers, Sodra’s budget for sickness benefits last year was in surplus, with revenues exceeding 107.2 million euros.

“Last year, the state reimbursed the pandemic-related social insurance costs of sickness, a total of 140 million. This increased the cost of sickness benefits,” explains Jarmalis.

This year, social insurance health insurance costs related to the pandemic will also be covered by the state budget. 60 million are earmarked for this. euros.

“However, we are reluctant to predict trends, which will depend on the spread of the virus, the rate of vaccination, quarantine conditions and other factors,” says Jarmalis.

Economist N. Mačiulis assures that public finances cannot cause any concern this year or next.

“There is no shortage of money, and no one is looking at the size of budget deficits, the global fiscal and monetary stimulus remains, mitigating the negative effects of a pandemic, and no one cares what budget deficits are.” In contrast, countries with excessive budget deficits, that is, insufficient funds to mitigate negative economic consequences, are viewed with caution. These countries tend to suffer the most in economic terms, GDP falls the most, the unemployment rate rises and other long-term negative consequences, ”says N. Mačiulis.

According to him, even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has changed its policy, urging states for decades to apply conservative fiscal policies, reduced budgets and balanced public finances.

“Now the IMF is saying the opposite: those countries that do not have enough fiscal stimulus, will have negative economic consequences in the long term,” says N. Mačiulis.