Sickness insurance system

The legislation is included in Act Nr. 54/1956 Coll. on Sickness Insurance as amended.

Employee sickness insurance system provides 4 benefits in cash:

• sickness benefit
• financial support for care of family members
• pregnancy and maternity compensation benefit
• maternity benefit

Sickness insurance of self-employed persons provides 2 benefits in cash:

• sickness benefit
• maternity benefit

Applying for benefits

Applying for sickness benefit is done by submitting the prescribed form issued by the supervisory doctor.

A woman who accepts a child for substitute parental care applies for maternity benefit in cash by submitting a written application.

Employees apply for a benefit via their employer, self-employed individuals by the relevant district social security management.

Also, an employee whose employment relationship has terminated however who is still in the so-called protection period has a right to receive benefits. The protection period is 42 days from the day when employment terminated otherwise, if the employee was employed for a shorter period the last time s/he was employed, the protection period is only for as many days as the employee was employed. For women whose employment ended when they were pregnant the protection period is always six months. The same applies for self-employed individuals.

More information - The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs