Maritime workers illness allowance: supplementary communication

The allowance for absolute temporary incapacity due to additional illness is paid:

• from the fourth day following the date of the report of the illness;
• if health requirements are met, for a maximum of one year from disembarkation.

The allowance for temporary incapacity due to illness for seafarers under permanent contract/paid availability, is paid:

• from the fourth day following the date of the report of the illness;
• if health requirements are met, for a maximum of 180 days.

The allowance for temporary unsuitability for boarding following common illness is paid in relation to the entire period of temporary unsuitability, up to a maximum of one year from the date of report of illness.

WHAT AM I ENTITLED TO?

The allowance for absolute temporary incapacity due to main illness is paid:

• for events occurring by 31 December 2023 to the extent of 75% of the remuneration received 30 days prior to disembarking; if the insured person has worked for a period of less than 30 days, the fixed elements of the remuneration are related to the month;
• for events occurring from 1 January 2024, the daily allowance is equal to 60% of the average total daily remuneration received by the worker in the month preceding the month in which the event resulting in ill health occurred;
• for events occurring in the first 30 days from the beginning of the employment relationship, based on the remuneration received in the reference period and in relation to the number of paid days.

The allowance for absolute temporary incapacity due to additional illness is paid:

• for events occurring by 31 December 2023 to the extent of 75% of the remuneration received 30 days prior to disembarking;
• for events occurring from 1 January 2024, the daily allowance is equal to 60% of the average total daily remuneration received by the worker in the month prior to the one in which the event resulting in ill health occurred;
• for events occurring in the first thirty days from the beginning of the employment relationship, based on the remuneration received in the reference period and in relation to the number of paid days.

The allowance for temporary incapacity due to illness for seafarers under permanent contract/paid availability is paid:

• in the percentage of 50% (for the first 20 days) and 66.66% (from the 21st to 180th day) of the remuneration paid when the illness occurred;
• for events occurring from 1 January 2024 to the extent of 50% (for the first 20 days) and 66.66% (from the 21st to the 180th day) of the remuneration for the month preceding the event;
• reduced to 2/5 of the regular allowance, in the case of hospitalisation for workers who have no fiscally dependent family members.

The allowance for temporary unsuitability for boarding following common illness is paid:

• in the percentage of 75% of the remuneration used for the assumed event of illness; for the purposes of the calculation it is necessary to consider only the ordinary remuneration excluding any variable items (e.g. compensation for overtime, tank cleaning); the navigation allowance (in the percentage of 50%) needs to be considered instead, in that this is an ordinary and continuous compensation.

Medical documentation of medical home visits to ascertain illness

With the electronic certificate the worker is exempted from the obligation to send it to INPS.

In cases where electronic transmission is not possible, the worker shall have the GP issue the illness certificate in paper form and complete with all the data required by law.

To avoid incurring legal penalties, which entail the loss of the right to the illness allowance payable by INPS for every day of unjustified delay in sending, within two days from the date of issue, the worker shall submit or send:

• the original paper certificate to the competent local INPS office;
• the attestation to their employer, if required.

Electronic transmission is also allowed for certificates of hospitalization and illness certificates issued by hospitals.

If, on the other hand, the certificates are prepared in paper form, the worker shall submit or send the original copy :

• the competent local INPS office;
• the employer, if required.

The certificates of hospitalization (but not any of those for post-hospitalization illness) can be delivered from the second day from the date of issue and within one year from this, under penalty of expiry.

The hospitalisation certificate and the certificate regarding the day spent at the emergency room without diagnosis are not considered to have certifying value for the purposes of recognising the social security benefit.

The worker is required to:

• provide an address for availability
  (district, suburb, complexes comprising several buildings, etc.);
• check that the data have been correctly entered in the illness certificate drawn up by the attending physician, to allow for home medico-legal checks, if required.

For the payment of the allowance, the worker shall be available at home during the periods of availability provided for by law, to allow verification of the temporary incapacity for work.

The hours of availability are, for all days reported in the illness certification (including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays), from 10 to 12 and from 17 to 19.

Absence during the medical home visit, if not justified, results in the application of penalties and related non-payment of the allowance for illness days:

• for a maximum of 10 calendar days, from the start of the event, in case of a first unjustified absence during the medical home visit;
• for 50% of the allowance in the remainder of the illness period in the event of a second unjustified absence during the medical home visit;
• for the total of the allowance from the date of the third unjustified absence during the medical home visit.

If, as a result of a medical home visit, the worker is unknown or unavailable (a case that can occur in cases where it has not been possible, for the doctor in charge, to know the address indicated by the worker or if the subject is unknown at that address), the worker loses the right to the illness benefit.

This will not be paid until the interested party communicates the omitted or incomplete data.

During the prognosis period of the certificate, the worker can change the address of availability by communicating it promptly to INPS using the appropriate online service.

For the allowance for temporary unsuitability for boarding following a common illness, the health documentation consists of:

• the medical examination report issued by the collegial medical commission established at the port authorities;
• or the decision on any appeal against the report of the first-instance visit; any appeal shall be submitted to the Central Commission.

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As indicated in INPS Circular no. 127 of 12 August 2021, those users unable to use the online services autonomously can delegate a trusted person, through the digital identity delegation tool.

Alternatively, claims can be made by:

• Calling the Multichannel Contact Centre on 803 164 (free from Italian landlines) or 06 164 164 from mobile phones;
• intermediaries of the Institutes, through the online services offered by them.

The supplementary communication must be presented only in relation to the first medical certificate, even if the event consists of several illness certificates.

The communication is sent in the event of the onset of the illness, on the basis of the aggregation elements "Event type" and "disembarkation date".

For the "continuation" of the same event, any certifications will be automatically acquired for processing if transmitted electronically; in the presence of a certification issued in paper form, the related obligation of transmission to the territorially competent INPS office remains with the worker, within two days of issue, in order not to incur legal penalties, consisting in the loss of the right to illness allowance for all days of unjustified delay.

For events of temporary unsuitability for boarding due to common illnesses, the following must be presented:

• the report issued by the Collegial Medical Commission at the Port Authority;
• the decision of the Central Commission (on any appeal filed by the interested party against an unfavourable report issued by the Collegial Medical Commission at the Port Authority).

Information required for the claim

To submit the supplementary communication, the user must have the following information:

• tax identification code of the employer;
• the vessel on which they have worked;
• the classification qualification;
• IBAN, and, in the case of a foreign IBAN outside the SEPA area, the SWIFT/BIC code.

The user must attach to the supplementary communication:

• documentation proving the date of landing;
• copy of the Seaman’s Discharge Book, if held, or other equivalent documentation issued by a subject institutionally competent to manage the employment-employer relationship (port authorities, authorised foreign subjects);
• financial identification form (if not already produced to the Institute during previous payment requests) for the payment of the allowance by crediting a foreign IBAN.

A new feature is available for consulting the status of maritime workers’ illness files in the Institute's electronic archives, for the three years preceding the date of consultation.

In the same section, the user manual, relating to the features and the compilation guide, can be viewed.

Payment method

Accepted methods of payment are:

• bank transfer made payable at the post office (cash payment is allowed only within the limit set by current legislation);
• credit to a bank current account (Italian or foreign);
• credit to a post office current account;
• top-up card.

For all the payment methods, with the exception of bank transfer made payable at the post office, the IBAN/account number and, for non-SEPA foreign current accounts, the SWIFT/BIC code are required.

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The table shows the deadlines exceeding thirty days, set by the Institute with a Regulation.

In addition to the terms for the issuance of the measure, the table also indicates the relative manager.

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