Disability pension, granted when a person loses at least 60% of their working capacity due to one or more illnesses, has been updated to include additional qualifying conditions. Individuals with diseases listed in the updated schedule may now apply for a disability pension.
Disability Pension for Ill Workers
The disability pension is a monthly benefit provided by the social security institution to insured workers who experience a loss of working capacity because of illness. Its main purpose is to support people who have difficulty finding or performing work due to health problems. Disabilities may result from natural disease processes or from workplace accidents; both can qualify for the pension. In practice, the disability pension can serve as an early retirement option for eligible workers.
To receive a disability pension, the insured person must have their disability accepted by the social security authority and meet the required insurance duration and number of premium days. A worker is considered disabled if a medical report documents at least a 60% loss of working capacity due to illness or an occupational accident. An important point: if the insured already had a 60% or greater capacity loss at the time of first employment, they are not eligible for this pension. The disability must occur after starting insurance. However, if a preexisting condition was minor at the start of employment but later progressed and rendered the insured disabled, that situation can qualify, provided the condition appears on the official list of disabling diseases.
Diseases Considered as Disability
To be eligible for a disability pension, the insured worker must have one of the diseases specified on the official disability list. Eligibility is based on conditions that develop after beginning employment or were present at hire but were not severe and later became disabling:
- Partial or total loss of vision
- Partial or total loss of hearing
- Metabolic disorders
- HIV/AIDS
- Cardiac conditions such as heart failure
- Loss or amputation of limbs
- Organ transplant procedures affecting life expectancy (liver, heart, kidney)
- Personality and severe psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia
- Epilepsy
- Dementia
- Brain tumors
- Parkinson’s disease
- Cerebral palsy
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Intellectual disability
- Brain injury-related conditions
- All cancer types that result in a loss of working capacity
If a qualifying condition appears, the insured may receive the disability pension. In past practice not all cancer types automatically qualified, but the updated list now allows all cancers to be considered. However, the determining factor remains the extent to which the cancer reduces work capacity. Because some tumors are benign and treatable, a medical panel will assess whether the specific cancer causes a disabling loss of working capacity. If the disease reduces the person’s ability to work or significantly impairs daily life, it will be evaluated as part of a disability application.
Pay Attention to Required Premium Days
An insured worker who believes they have lost 60% or more of their working capacity due to an accident or illness should apply to their local social security office to be referred to authorized medical institutions for assessment. Applicants must meet the minimum premium day requirement for disability, old-age and survivor insurance, which is 1,800 days. Those who lack enough premium days can typically complete the shortfall through service-based premium credit (service buyback) to qualify.