What steps are involved in your vocational rehabilitation with Ilmarinen?

1. Apply for vocational rehabilitation in our MyPension service

You can apply for vocational rehabilitation in our MyPension service. You need to attach a Medical Statement B to your application.

If you have had an occupational health negotiation with your manager and an occupational health physician, please attach a memo from the negotiation to your application.

You can enter the information concerning your rehabilitation plan in your application. If you do not have a plan yet, just apply for vocational rehabilitation and send the plan to us later.

 Read more about applying for vocational rehabilitation 

2. You receive a vocational rehabilitation decision from us

You will receive a vocational rehabilitation decision from us. The decision will be available in MyPension service. If you have not selected e-services, you will also receive the decision by post.  

A positive decision will be valid for 10 months. The decision includes an estimate of how much rehabilitation allowance you will receive and the contact information for your dedicated rehabilitation specialist.

If you receive a negative decision, you should find out about your eligibility for vocational rehabilitation provided, for example, by Kela.

Read more about the preliminary decision on vocational rehabilitation

3. Make a rehabilitation plan

If you have a plan for returning to work, send it to us via the MyPension service.

If you need help preparing a rehabilitation plan, contact your rehabilitation specialist. We can look into the options together and we will designate a career coach to help you if necessary.

Send the plan to us or contact your rehabilitation specialist during the validity of the preliminary decision. If you make your plan with a career coach, they will send your plan to us.

Read more about the rehabilitation plan
Read more about career coach services
Read more about vocational rehabilitation options 

4. We assess your rehabilitation plan

Once we have received your plan, we will assess its suitability for your state of health. We will also take into account your previous work and education history, your age and whether the plan will lengthen your career and improve your opportunities to find employment. The objective is to enable you to continue working in a job that suits your health for as long as possible.

Once we have assessed your plan, you will receive a decision and instructions on how to proceed. If we cannot support the plan you have suggested as vocational rehabilitation, we will try to find an alternative solution together with you. 

Read more about the rehabilitation plan

5. Send the documents required for paying the rehabilitation allowance

We will require the following documents from you in order to pay the rehabilitation allowance:

Work trial and job coaching 

• Work trial or job coaching agreement
  • Once we have approved your plan on a work trial or job coaching, we will send an agreement to your employer by post. Fill in the agreement and return it to us. 

Studying 

• Study certificate (in Finnish) when the studies begin
  • Also always send a study certificate in August as long as your studies last.
• Transcript of records if requested by us

Apprenticeship 

• Apprenticeship
• Study certificate (in Finnish)
• ‘Employer's application for rehabilitation allowance’ form

Support for business activities 

• Application for a start-up grant for self-employment
• Business plan and profitability calculation, if requested by us 

6. We will pay you rehabilitation allowance for the duration of your vocational rehabilitation

You will begin to receive the rehabilitation allowance from us when your rehabilitation, such as a work trial or studies, begins.

You will receive the first instalment within about two weeks of receiving a decision on your rehabilitation allowance. After that, the rehabilitation allowance for each month will be paid into your account on the first banking day of the month.

We will not pay you the rehabilitation allowance during the period when you are drawing up your rehabilitation plan. 

Read more about the rehabilitation allowance

7. Send your tax card to us

The rehabilitation allowance is taxable income, and we require a tax card calculated for a benefit. Always send us a new tax card at the turn of each year. We do not receive the information from the tax authority automatically.

Read more about the payment and taxation of the rehabilitation allowance

8. Claim reimbursement of expenses in MyPension service

You can claim reimbursements of travel and accommodation expenses incurred during your vocational rehabilitation in the MyPension service.

Read more about reimbursements of expenses

9. Always inform us of any changes in your rehabilitation

Contact your rehabilitation specialist, if your situation changes during your rehabilitation. You can find the contact details for your rehabilitation specialist in the preliminary decision. Contact your rehabilitation specialist if

• you are on sick leave for more than a week
• your studies or your work trial are delayed
• your studies or your work trial are interrupted
• your studies are completed early. 

10. When your rehabilitation ends

If you completed a work trial or job coaching, assess its success together with your employer. In connection with the assessment discussion, fill in the workplace rehabilitation assessment form sent to your employer by e-mail. 
Send the form to us.

When you have graduated from your studies, send a copy of your diploma to us.

11. Returning to work

The objective of vocational rehabilitation is always to enable you to continue working in a job that suits your health for as long as possible. You can continue working for your former employer or find employment involving different tasks with a new employer after, for example, a work trial.

If you are studying for a new profession in vocational rehabilitation and you cannot find a job immediately after graduation, you will receive help with a job search and finding employment from, for example, employment services.

Read more about the options offered by employment services (tyomarkkinatori.fi)