You will receive your benefit decisions faster when your doctor forwards certificates or reports electronically to Kela via the Kanta Services.
Certificates and reports issued by doctors and other healthcare professionals are recorded in the Patient Data Repository, which is part of the Kanta Services. In connection with this recording, electronic certificates can be sent directly to Kela for benefit processing and it is not necessary to send paper copies separately.
For the time being, six Kela’s certificates can be delivered electronically:
Medical certificate A SV 6 for sickness allowance
Medical report B SV 7 on sickness and rehabilitation need for the purpose of several different benefits
Medical certificate D SV 10 for special care allowance for a child
Medical report SV 97 on the need for special maternity leave
Certificate SV 75 on pregnancy or postnatal examination
Certificate SV 67 for compensation for travel expenses
Electronic delivery speeds up benefit processing
Electronic delivery of medical certificates is faster than delivering or posting paper certificates. Benefit processing will also be faster, and a decision on your claim will be made more quickly.
“Electronic delivery increases equality between people living in different areas. Everyone will be able to deliver a certificate quickly to Kela for benefit processing regardless of the distance to their nearest Kela’s customer service point,” says Kela’s Analyst Kaisa Timonen.
The electronic form guides healthcare professional to complete all the information that is required for the benefit decision. “It is not possible to send electronic certificates until all the necessary information has been completed. That way the information will be correct straight away, and there will be no need to ask for further details in relation to the certificates,” Timonen adds.
“It is also more ecological to send certificates electronically as you don't need to print out paper copies. Delivering and posting of paper copies will also be reduced, which in turn supports sustainable development,” Timonen continues.
It is safe and ecological to send medical certificates electronically
Medical certificates can be sent electronically to Kela only with the patient’s consent. Therefore, it is worth asking at the doctor’s surgery whether your certificate can be delivered electronically to Kela for benefit processing. It is safe to deliver medical certificates electronically.
“All electronic certificates are archived in the Patient Data Repository, but the data can only be shared with the bodies for the benefit of which the certificates have been issued. In addition to the delivered certificate itself, Kela's staff cannot view any other health data recorded in the Kanta service,” Timonen says.
Certificates archived in Kanta can also be viewed in My Kanta Pages and certificates sent to Kela can also be viewed in Kela‘s online service, i.e. you can also access your own certificates, if necessary.
Currently, electronic delivery of medical certificates is used with one patient data system and by the units using the system. In the course of the autumn, more systems will probably be deploying the delivery system on a permanent basis.
