Sickness Assistance

Overview

Sickness Assistance is awarded to a person who proves to the satisfaction of the Director of Social Security that the person responsible for the household or any family member living within the household is suffering from a disease listed below. and that could only be cured or alleviated by a special diet or regiment, which incurs an additional expenditure.

• Malignant Diseases
• Cardiovascular Diseases:
  • Congestive Cardiac Failure
  • Persistent Hypertension with a Diastolic reading above 110 if left untreated
• Endocrine:
  • Addison’s Diseases
  • Juvenile Diabetes Mellitus
  • Enzyme Deficiency Disorders
• Renal:
  • Nephrotic Syndrome
  • Chronic Renal Failure
• Digestive System:
  • Chronic Peptic Ulcer
  • Coeliac Disease and Idiopathic Steatorrhea
  • Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
• Diseases of the Liver:
  • Hepatic Cirrhosis associated with Ascites or Neurological Symptoms
  • Wilson’s Disease
• Chronic Schizophrenia
  • Bi-Polar Disorder
  • Psychotic Depression
• Infectious Diseases – H.I.V. positive
• Chronic lymphedema disease
• Fibromyalgia 
• Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)
• Fibrous Dysplasia
• Miscellaneous:
  • Serious Bodily or Mental Impairment arising from Diabetes Mellitus whether congenital or acquired
  • All cases of Diabetes
  • Terminal Illness

What you’ll get

Sickness Assistance is paid every four (4) weeks in advance.

The first payment is issued from the 1^st Saturday following the date of the application.

Please click here for a Schedule of Benefits Rates.

Eligibility

General eligibility criteria:

• Capital assets of couples do not exceed twenty-six thousand euro (€26,000) and sixteen-thousand euro (€16,000) for single persons.
• Have a medical condition as already indicated in list indicated above.
• Weekly income is not to exceed two-hundred and thirty-four euro and eighty eight cents (€234.88) for couples and two-hundred and ten euro and ninety seven cents (€210.97) for single persons.
• Patient must not be in employment or as long as there is the earning not more than seventeen euro and fifty cents (€17.50) per week.
• In case of a couple where one of them receiving any of the Disability Assistances and is not employed, this income is ignored.
• In case of a couple where one of them is receiving Increased Carers Allowance and Carers Allowance, this income is ignored.
• With effect from January 2023, persons who are not in employment and who are in receipt of the Contributory Sickness Benefit (SB), Unemployment Benefit (UB) or Special Unemployment Benfit (SUB) may be entitled to Sickness Assistance if they meet the criteria of the Sickness Assistance means test.  In these cases the income coming from the Sickness Benefit or Unemployment Benefit will be ignored for means purposes for the Medical Assistance.

Documents required

General documentation:

• Doctor’s report – Click here to download this document which is to be signed and rubber-stamped by a doctor.
• Bank Statements of both local and foreign bank accounts.
• Relative statements/documents regarding income derived from foreign pensions.
• Copy of rent receipts if you pay rent for your house of residence.
• Copy of rent agreement if rent is derived from other properties.
• Logbook of all vehicles under the applicant’s name.
• Related documents/contracts of any property and/or share of a property.
• In the case where there were donations, whether monetary or property airspace, a legal document needs to be provided.
• Relative documents regarding value of any Stocks/Shares/Bonds and the income derived thereof.
• If married, in a civil union or cohabitating (whether registered cohabitation or not) and the spouse/partner is in employment, a copy of the payslip needs to be provided.
• In cases of separation or divorce, a copy of the separation or divorce contracts needs to be provided.

How to apply

Once the application is received and verified by the Department of Social Security, it is then referred for the recommendation of the Medical Board, appointed in accordance to the Social Security Act (Cap. 318.). Once the Board approves the claim, the procedure for payment is initiated. If the claim is rejected, the applicant is informed accordingly in writing.

Fill in and submit the application online.