Hanne lost the right to sickness benefits as a result of health queue – NRK Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
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– On an annual basis, I go down to just under 200,000 kroner. It’s a lot of money, says Hanne Indstø Olsen.
A year ago, Olsen was diagnosed with a wear and tear injury in his left shoulder. According to the plan, she was to be operated on this spring, but due to the corona crisis, she was put in a health queue.
In Norway, you can receive full pay during illness for up to 12 months. Hanne underwent surgery in August and is still on sick leave due to rehabilitation.
For Hanne, postponed surgery has also led to the shoulder injury getting worse.
Photo: Frode Fjerdingstad / NRK
Now she has lost the right to sickness benefits and has applied for work assessment benefits (AAP). A benefit that is only 66 percent of the sickness benefit.
– The timing could not have been worse. With high electricity prices, increased tenants and the Christmas holidays, everything is becoming more expensive, says Olsen.
Think it’s unreasonable
The Progress Party believes it is unreasonable for people in need of treatment to pay the price for increased waiting times in the health care system.
Just before Christmas, they put forward a proposal to secure sickness benefits beyond 52 weeks for people in the same situation as Hanne.
– Here you have to make sure that those affected by this get to keep the sickness benefits for the period they need to get well, says FRP leader Sylvi Listhaug.
FRP leader Sylvi Listhaug will expand the limit for payment of sickness benefits.
Photo: Torstein Bøe / NTB
She adds that the party has also put forward a proposal that one must take in private capacity in order to have more operations performed.
– Do you know anything about the extent of how many are affected by this?
– No, but there is reason to believe that there are many. There are thousands of operations that have been postponed. Many have also experienced having their operation postponed several times, says Listhaug.
The proposals for Frp will be discussed in the Storting in January.
No schemes have been established
NRK has been in contact with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. They have been presented with the criticism, but have not had the opportunity to be interviewed.
In an e-mail, however, they confirm that no schemes have been established to extend the sick leave period during the pandemic.
From 1 July to 1 October this year, however, there was a scheme for people who were not really entitled to AAP after the end of the sick leave period, the ministry says.
The intention was to catch these people and give them AAP as a replacement anyway. According to the ministry, this scheme was very little used.
The FRP’s proposal will be considered by the Storting in January.
Photo: Tore Ellingseter / NRK
Hoping for compensation
Hanne Indstø Olsen usually works in a kindergarten. She is therefore very dependent on a well-functioning shoulder.
Had the operation taken place this spring as planned, she would have been at work now, Olsen says.
– I was predicted that I would be ready by the autumn of 2021. Maybe not one hundred percent, but in a graded sick leave.
Olsen believes it is appropriate that compensatory measures are adopted.
– I do it comes a scheme that I can get paid back the loss of income I will have to stand next year. My situation is completely innocent, says Olsen.
Hanne depends on a well-functioning shoulder to be able to work.
Photo: Frode Fjerdingstad / NRK
