The official version of this document can be found via the PDF button.
The below content has been automatically generated from the original PDF and some formatting may have been lost, therefore it should not be relied upon to extract citations or propose amendments.
1240/5(8372)
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SECURITY BY THE DEPUTY OF GROUVILLE
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 17th JUNE 2014
Question
Would the Minister confirm that a person, having contributed 2 quarters of social security contributions, is entitled to claim sickness benefit?
Could he advise whether someone who has subsequently returned to their country of origin is still entitled to claim sickness benefit from the Jersey Social Security system, if they can produce a doctor's certificate?
Is there a time limit on the length of time someone can claim sickness benefit, having contributed for 6 months, if they are no longer resident in the Island?
Answer
There are two separate contribution conditions to claim short-term incapacity allowance (STIA) (often referred to as sickness benefit):
- The individual must have paid at least three months of contributions by the end of the quarter but one before the start of the claim.
- The individual must have contributions or contribution credits in the quarter but one before the start of the claim. E.g. if the individual is ill in July, contributions from January to March are considered. The value of the benefit paid is reduced if contributions are missing for any of these three months.
STIA only can be paid outside of Jersey, on receipt of a medical certificate, if:
- the claim commenced prior to the person leaving Jersey AND
- a reciprocal agreement for the payment of STIA is in place with the other country.
STIA can only be paid for a maximum period of a year regardless of whether the person is living abroad or in Jersey. The standard rate of STIA is £191.38 per week. As at 31/12/2013, there were 1,430 STIA claims in payment of which 7 were being paid outside Jersey.
In addition to STIA, which is only available for a maximum of one year, long term incapacity allowance (LTIA) is also available to working age individuals with a long-term loss of faculty. This is paid on a percentage basis, from 5% up to 100% of the standard rate of benefit.
A claim for LTIA is decided by a medical board, made up of medical practitioners (doctors) registered either under the local law for the registration of doctors in Jersey or the similar law in the UK.
The contribution conditions are similar to those of STIA:
- The individual must have paid at least six months of contributions by the end of the quarter but one before the start of the claim.
- The individual must have contributions or contribution credits in the quarter but one before the start of the claim. E.g. if the individual makes a claim in July, contributions from January to March are considered. The value of the benefit paid is reduced if contributions are missing for any of these three months.
LTIA can be paid outside Jersey for up to 13 weeks, or if there is a reciprocal agreement in place with the other country. There is provision within the reciprocal agreement legislation for the country of residence to arrange a medical board on our behalf when a review is required. The doctor will complete the medical report and when it is returned it is passed to our doctors to award the percentage of LTIA. There is no necessity for the person to return to Jersey for a medical review unless they prefer to be seen by our medical board. As at 31st December 2013, there were 3,815 LTIA claims in payment of which 350 were being paid outside Jersey.