countries - pl - Social protection

Social protection

The number of inability to work pensions paid by ZUS (Social Insurance Institution) is systematically decreasing every year. The number of persons receiving these fell from 2.526 thousand in 2001 to 1.474 thousand in 2007 (36.4% female, 63.6% male; in December 2007). In 2007, the average monthly amount of pension received was PLN1.011 (including nursing supplements), which made up 44.5% of the average monthly remuneration (Social Insurance Institution).

In 2007, social pensions were also paid by ZUS on average (monthly) to 238 thousand persons (Social Insurance Institution).

The number   receiving farmer disability pensions from KRUS (Agricultural Social Insurance Fund)  fell from 794 thousand in 2001 to 295 thousand in 2006. The average   paid by KRUS in 2006 amounted to PLN638 (Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, 2007).

Rehabilitation and re-training

Medical rehabilitation is  financed by public resources (Act on Health Care Services Finances from Public Means). In 2007 the National Health Fund spent   approximately PLN1.25 million (3.13% of its health services costs) on medical rehabilitation (CSO, Basic data on health care in 2007).

 According the Act on Rehabilitation, two main forms of activity supporting vocational and social rehabilitation are rehabilitation holidays and occupational therapy workshops. In 2007, the number of persons participating in rehabilitation holidays subsidized by the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons amounted to 196 thousand (CSO, Basic data on health care in 2007).

At the end of 2007, 643 occupational therapy workshops operated in Poland with nearly 22 thousand participants with disabilities (BIFRON 2008).

The Social Insurance Institution provides training pensions, rehabilitation benefits and compensatory allowances. The training pension is payable to  those eligible for  disability pensions, who have received a decision on the advisability of vocational retraining due to incapacity for work in an earlier occupation. It is not payable if the pensioner receives remuneration or income (irre­spective of its level). In 2007 the monthly average number of   training pensions was 321 and the average paid was PLN1459.

Rehabilitation benefit may be granted to an employee who, after cessation of the right to sickness allowance, is still incapable of work if there is a good prognosis as to restora­tion of   earning capacity. In 2007 it was paid to a monthly average of 47.2 thousand persons, and the average monthly amount was PLN1085.

The compensatory allowance is payable to an employee whose remuneration has been reduced due to undergoing vocational rehabilitation.   Expenditure   in 2007 amounted to PLN0.7 million (Social Insurance Institution).

Preferential employment and quotas

Poland has applied quota schemes both in the public and private sector and all employers with 25 or more employees have to meet a quota of 6% (with some exceptions), (Act on Rehabilitation, 1997).

More severely disabled persons may count as double or triple. In instances of non-compliance, employers face a penalty of 40.65% of average wages for each disabled person that should have been hired (i.e. a maximum payroll tax of around 2.5%). These payments go to the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons (Państwowy Fundusz Rehabilitacji Osób Niepełnosprawnych, PFRON), which uses them to fund various rehabilitation and employment programmes (MISSOC, 2008).

Long-term support and care

Long-term support and care is provided in Poland via health care and social welfare. The health care system is financed mainly from the National Health Fund and the social welfare system  mainly from the State budget and from the funds of local self-governing organisations.

The social welfare system is meant to support those citizens and families who, for objective reasons, are not able to fulfill their primary necessities of life. A person is entitled to these financial services if his/her income is lower than that specified in the social welfare regulations (in 2007,  PLN477 for a one-person household , and PLN351 for a family).   Municipalities also provide  in-kind assistance, social work, special advisory services, care or nursing services in people's homes, at care centers and in residential institutions. Care and specialist care services are granted on the basis of an administrative decision and are free of charge only for those individuals who met the income criteria specified in the social welfare regulations (Act on Social Welfare, 2004). The amount of payment for these services depends on the person's monthly income.

In 2007, care services and special care services were granted to approximately 90 thousand persons and special care services for people with mental health problems were granted to nearly 10 thousand persons (Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, MPiPS -03, I-XII 2007).

If a family cannot take care of a person who needs 24 hour care (and where   necessary help from care services is not sufficient) he/she may be referred to the nearest social welfare home (residential institution). The total number of residents in social welfare residential facilities in 2007 in Poland was nearly 96.7 thousand. Most of the residents paid for these services but only 4.5% the total amount  (CSO: Basic data on health care in 2007).