Tighten control over medical leave. New rules come into force today – Current Affairs

The legislation had not changed for 27 years, but the decree-law which changes the Social Security disability verification system, published in January, comes into force this Monday, April 1st, and introduces new rules for sick leave.

The Government approved the change to this system to “make it more effective and efficient, contributing to a faster and more judicious allocation of benefits in the event of illness, disability, disability and dependency”.

One of the main changes involves the disappearance of the minimum limit of 30 days for a first contact, which means that anyone who has been off work for more than three days can be contacted at any time for an assessment of your health condition.

This one Contact can be made by SMS or email. The decree-law establishes that “the beneficiary is summoned for a medical examination through the social security electronic notification system, by SMS to the mobile phone number registered with social security, by email message registered with social security, in person or by any other means provided for by law”.

Another change involves the possibility of beneficiaries can request a medical examination via video call.

According to the text, “the beneficiary may request a medical examination via video call” and that “a medical examination is carried out via video call, to verify temporary or permanent incapacity, whenever it appears appropriate for the assessment to be carried out, as long as it is complemented with information clinic available or to be made available for this purpose”.

It should be noted that Verification, re-evaluation and appeal committees can also be carried out via video callin situations to be defined by the social security services.

These changes take place after another substantial change, which came into force at the beginning of March this year and which provides that medical leaves can be issued in emergency services and in the private sector.

Until this time, sick leave always required a consultation in primary health care, but the Government decided to expand the type of issuers to guarantee “a more adequate response to the health conditions of citizens, reducing bureaucracy in procedures that represented additional pressure on services health care,” according to a statement.

Exception for short-term sick leave (up to three days) which since May 2023 can be made on a self-declaration basis, with 303,700 self-declarations of illness having been issued since then.

*With Lusa