ANSA Economia2 days agoLabor1 min readItaly

INPS: sickness protection starts from the day before the medical certificate

The new INPS circular also extends social security coverage to outpatient visits, going beyond the previous application orientation.

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The INPS clarifies that social security protection for illness can start from the day before the medical certificate is drawn up, even in the case of an outpatient visit, as long as it is not a public holiday, Saturday or Sunday, to guarantee fairness towards workers.

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Why It Matters

The deficiency is the initial period of illness not compensated by INPS. The change responds to the difficulty of general practitioners in managing workloads.

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The first day of illness protected for the worker may be the one before the medical certificate as long as this is the doctor's indication and the previous day was not a midweek holiday, a Saturday or a Sunday. The INPS clarifies this in a circular explaining that given the decrease in the number of general practitioners, the increase in workloads and in the organizational and care tasks entrusted to the same doctors, the interpretation regarding the calculation of the first day of illness must be changed, "in order to guarantee that the worker's social security protection remains effective and fair" in the event that for organizational or welfare reasons, the treating doctor is unable to go to the worker's home within the following day or to receive him at his study.

"With the unanimous opinion of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, in order to protect sick workers and guarantee uniformity of treatment throughout the national territory, we read in the INPS circular, it is communicated that, while reiterating that the illness event for the purposes of social security protection generally starts from the date of drafting of the certificate issued by the doctor which certifies, on the basis of the clinical evaluation carried out, the existence of the state of temporary incapacity for work, exceeding the previous application orientation, in compliance with the maximum period of assistance provided for by law, starting from the date of publication of this circular, social security protection for the disease is recognized for the day immediately preceding the drafting of the medical certificate even in the case of an outpatient visit, provided that this day is not a midweek holiday and does not fall on a Saturday or Sunday, as in such cases continuity of care is guaranteed".

The first day of the illness is decisive for the purposes of counting the so-called "deficiency" (first 3 days not compensated by INPS), the compensation percentages, the maximum period of assistance, as well as the possible application of sanctions imposed for various reasons (for example, absence from the medical check-up).

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