Sickness per diem payments and member benefits

• Sickness per diem payments after sick-pay rights expire (80% of wages) for up to 270 days.
• Accident per diem payments for accidents suffered during leisure time (80% of wages).
• Sickness per diem payments for alcohol-abuse treatment (80% of wages)
• Per diem payments for caring for sick children under the age of 16 (80% of wages) for up to 270 days.
• Per diem payments due to serious illness of a spouse (80% of wages) for up to 90 days.
• Grant for artificial insemination ISK 150,000.
• Accident and disability benefits for accidents suffered by children up to the age of 18.
• Death benefits for children up to the age of 18.;
• Disability compensation for accidents during leisure time, approximately ISK 20m.
• Death benefits; for example, a surviving spouse with three children under the age of 21 would receive ISK 2.8m.

Accident and death benefits

VR’s sick-pay fund pays benefits for accidents during leisure time. Per diem payments will be paid in the event of temporary disability. VR pays death benefits on the decease of fully qualified members. Benefit amounts are subject to family size and whether the person was still on the employment market. The sick-pay fund pays benefits in the event of death or an accident suffered by the member’s children (under the age of 18). Note that benefits will not be paid if benefits are paid from other sources due to mandatory liability insurance.

Per diem payments for the care of a sick child

During the first year of employment with the same employer, a parent may spend two days for each worked month, up to a maximum of 12 days during each 12 month period, caring for his or her children under the age of 13 and parents will retain their daytime wages as well as any supplementary payments for shift work or after-hours work as appropriate. If the child is sick for a longer period, members can apply for benefits from VR’s sick-pay fund for children aged up to 16 for up to 270 days during each 12 month period. The amount corresponds to 80% of the average wage during the preceding six months.

Grants to low-income members

Members earning ISK 240,000 in total wages per month, or less, for a full time position can apply for a special grant from the sick-pay fund. In order to receive a grant, the applicant must have been a fully qualified member of VR for the 12 months preceding the date of the application. The member must submit confirmation of paid withholding tax over the past 24 months from the Directorate of Internal Revenue and a pay statement in order to be entitled to a grant. The grants provided are:

• Grant for spectacles, ISK 25,000 every 24 months
• Physiotherapy, ISK 1,500 on 25 occasions
• Psychology therapy costs, ISK 4,000 on 15 occasions
• Hearing aids, ISK 100,000 every 36 months
• Dentistry costs, ISK 100,000 per year, maximum of 50% of cost however

Receipts must be submitted with an application and may not be older than from 1 January 2010.

The Icelandic Rehabilitation Fund (Virk Starfsendurhæfingarsjódur)

VR members with diminished working capacity, or those who are in a position where their working capacity is threatened due to loss of health, can obtain assistance and advice that takes account of their individual circumstances. The consultants of the Icelandic Rehabilitation fund assist members. Further information may be obtained from VR’s service centre, telephone 510 1700.