A FEW REMARKS ON THE APPOINTMENT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE ZUS (SOCIAL INSURANCE INSTITUTION)

The subject of the article is to discuss the evolution of legal regulations regarding the appointment of the President of the Social Insurance Institution included in the Act of 13 October 1998 on the social insurance system and an assessment whether an employment relationship is established between ZUS and its President on the basis of the appointment.

New technologies in the Social Insurance Institution

The Social Insurance Institution (Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych, ZUS) is one of the largest public institutions in Poland. For nearly nine decades it has been carrying out tasks in the area of social insurance, taking care both of the social security of citizens and the part of public finances it manages. ZUS has solutions which use modern techniques and technologies (so-called e-projects), which are the basic tools for achieving the organisation’s objectives. The text outlines the objectives for ZUS development and related IT instruments in the area of IT over the last five years. Special attention has been paid to the solutions employed by ZUS during the COVID-19 pandemic (from spring 2020), which positively verified their legitimacy and application. The main e-projects have been described. Their role has been indicated and their efficiency assessed.

Sickness absence during the COVID-19 pandemic

The aim of this research was to perform comparative analysis of the publicly avaiable data of the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) on sickness absence of insured persons in Poland in 2016-2021 (before the outbreak and during the COVID-19 pandemic). Materials and methods. The research material consisted of data from the Social Insurance Institution for the years 2016-2021 (Q1) concerning the sickness absence of the insured. Due to the publication of data in an aggregated form, quantitative analysis was performed instead of statistical analysis. The data used in the analysis included the number of insured persons, the number of people receiving sickness benefits, the number of issued medical certificates on temporary incapacity to work and the reasons for the incapacity to work. Results and Conclusion. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, following numbers have increased compared to 2019: the number of people receiving sickness benefit in Poland (by 10%), the number of days of sickness absence (by 7%) and the number of issued medical certificates of temporary incapacity for work (by 4%). The largest increase in the number of beneficiaries, the number of days of sickness absence and the number of medical certificates was recorded in the Q4 of 2020 (respectively by 21%, 16% and 24% compared to Q4 of 2019). Due to COVID-19, 4.84 million days of sickness absence were used in 2020 – it was the tenth cause of absence. The largest changes in the number of people receiving sickness benefit and the number of days of sickness absence can be observed in Q1 and Q4, which may result from the seasonality of COVID-19 and the subsequent wave of infections. Importantly, COVID-19 is not the only factor contributing overall increase in the number of days of sickness absence in Poland – absence due to non-communicable diseases also increased during the pandemic.

E-SERVICES IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION ON THE BASIS OF THE POLISH SOCIAL INSURANCE INSTITUTION (ZUS)

The term e-services refers to such services that are delivered over the Internet and their rendition is frequently automated and remote. Apart from the Internet, an e-service may also be provided by means of mobile devices or television. The wider and wider range of e-services is offered by institutions from the public administration sector, striving to anticipate their client's expectations (especially those of the younger generation) and using the ongoing digitisation process. This study aims at presenting the role and opinions of e-service in one of the social insurance institutions, i.e. Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) where numerous electronic tools have been implemented facilitating work and enabling clients to make contact, get information, send and receive documents. All these efforts are made so as to increase accessibility for prospective and current clients as well as to make the institution's operations more efficient. To achieve this, the following research methods were used: a critical analysis of the literature, an analysis of statistical data, an analysis of survey results (conducted by ZUS), and a survey questionnaire (own research).

ICT Solutions in the Activities of the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) as an E-Administration. Evolution During the COVID-19 Epidemic (Case Study)

Purpose: As a case study illustrating the relationship between crisis management capabilities and the use of ICT techniques and technologies in public administration, the following text presents the evolution of selected ICT-based solutions used in the activities of the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) as an e-administration and their use in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The article describes chronologically the most important projects in this area implemented and developed at ZUS from 2016 to the end of 2020. Methods: To achieve the objective a case study method has been chosen, i.e. a method of a qualitative nature, which, among other things, allows for: an in-depth description of an atypical phenomenon, and also on a broader and individualized analysis of the problem, allowing for its better understanding. The application of the case study method for presenting the impact of the pandemic (global crisis) on the use of information technology – in accordance with the assumption of using this method in the so-called narrow approach – made it possible to reconstruct the course of this relationship and its conditions. The case description was based on the analysis of legal acts, ZUS documents: annual reports on ZUS activities, strategic studies periodically prepared in ZUS, specifying the current objectives, directions and instruments of its planned development, information publications available on the ZUS website and thematic information available in the media. Findings: Using the example of the changes in the use of new techniques and information technologies in the Social Insurance Institution, it was shown how the process of automation and digitization was accelerated under the conditions of the pandemic. As a result, ZUS played the role of the main entity implementing government aid projects under crisis conditions. It is also a leader in e-administration development. Originality/value: The presented case study is an original paper, drawing attention to the potential of public institutions and conditions of its use in the global crisis situation. The added value of the study is the quotation of unpublished figures made available by ZUS. They enable an objective assessment of changes, the scale of described activities, as well as their effectiveness, measured e.g. by the number of activities, instruments and beneficiaries

Social Insurance for farmers in Austria – from its inception to the SVS

After existing for 46 years, the Austrian Farmers Insurance Institution (in German: Sozialversicherungsanstalt der Bauern – SVB) was merged into the Social Insurance Institution for the Self-Employed on 31 December 2019 and ceased to exist. Social insurance protection for farmers in Austria goes back further than 1974 and did not end with this reform. Over the years, the SVB has continually widened and improved its range of services, which became specialised for people working in agriculture and forestry. The following article will pinpoint the most important stages in the development of social insurance for farmers into what it is today, explain contributions and benefits, and present the available health programmes and initiatives as well as the Sozialversicherung der Selbständigen itself (the SVS), with a focus on agriculture. Social insurance in Austria is obligatory, meaning that as soon as a person takes up an occupation – either as an employee or self-employed – they gain social security coverage. As work on farms cannot be compared easily to other fields of work, the SVS offers different programmes and initiatives tailored to the need of people active in the agricultural sector or forestry.

Analysis of changes in the retirement insurance system in Poland in 2002-2018

The year 1999 marked the beginning of reforms in social insurance in Poland. Changes which were implemented then regarded mainly retirement insurance. Until the reform was introduced, the retirement insurance had operated under a pay-as-you-go system. However, political changes in Poland, as well as adverse demographic trends, led to ineffective functioning of the existing system of financing liabilities arising from retirement insurance. It was necessary to introduce changes that, above all, would allow for maintaining an appropriate level of retirement pension. The following article concentrates on one selected aspect of this insurance - Open Pension Funds (in Polish: Otwarte Fundusze Emerytalne; OFEs) and presents major changes occurring in 2002-2018, their reasons and effects. The analysis is mainly based on data from the Financial Supervision Authority and the Social Insurance Institution.

Medical Rehabilitation Carried out by the social Insurance Institution as part of Disability to work prevention

The Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) has been implementing a medical rehabilitation program as part of disability prevention since 1996. The purpose of medical rehabilitation is to improve the health condition of the insured in terms of regaining or maintaining the ability to work. Medical rehabilitation is carried out in those diseases that most often cause inability to work, and thus generate the greatest costs for the social insurance system. Currently, ZUS is referring to medical rehabilitation in: diseases of the musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory system diseases, psychosomatic diseases, people after treatment of breast cancer, voice organ diseases, people who, during an accident, in particular an accident at work, suffered an injury to the musculoskeletal system , diseases of the central nervous system. Its role is limited to supplementing the therapeutic process with medical measures aimed at improving the body’s efficiency, enabling the insured person or pensioner to return to employment. Hence, the subjective scope of its activities covers the insured at risk of total or partial incapacity for work and who are promising to start gainful employment as a result of its completion. The concept of incapacity for work means that a person who has lost the ability to work completely or partially due to a violation of the body’s efficiency is incapable of work and does not expect to regain the ability to work after retraining. A person who has lost the ability to perform any work is completely incapable of work. A person partially incapable of work is a person who has largely lost the ability to work in accordance with the level of their qualifications.

Kuntoutukseen osallistuminen ja eri osajärjestelmien ristikkäiskäyttö

Tieto kuntoutuksen kentän kokonaisuudesta ja erilaisten kuntoutuspalveluiden käytöstä samoilla ihmisillä on varsin hajanaista ja puutteellista. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on selvittää kuntoutukseen osallistumisen yleisyyttä ja päällekkäisyyttä eri osajärjestelmissä Oulun asukkailla vuonna 2018 laajalla rekisteriaineistolla (N = 192 844). Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan julkisen sosiaali- ja terveyspalvelujärjestelmän kuntoutusta, Kelan kuntoutusta, työeläkekuntoutusta, työterveyshuollon fysioterapiaa ja Kelan korvaamaa yksityistä fysioterapiaa. Vuonna 2018 oululaisista 18 prosenttia sai vähintään yhden tutkitun osajärjestelmän kuntoutusta (N = 34 061). Yleisintä oli julkisen sosiaali- ja terveyspalvelujärjestelmän kuntoutus, harvinaisinta työeläkekuntoutus. Naiset osallistuivat kuntoutukseen miehiä yleisemmin. Kuntoutukseen osallistuminen oli miehillä yleisintä 65 vuotta täyttäneillä, naisilla 45–64-vuotiailla. Harvinaisinta se oli 16–24-vuotiailla miehillä ja alle 16-vuotiailla naisilla. Suurin osa (90 %) kuntoutukseen osallistuneista oli osallistunut vain yhden osajärjestelmän kuntoutukseen. Useamman osajärjestelmän kuntoutukseen osallistuminen oli naisilla miehiä yleisempää. Ikäryhmistä se oli yleisintä 45–64-vuotiailla ja harvinaisinta alle 16-vuotiailla. Vähintään kahden osajärjestelmän kuntoutukseen osallistuneet olivat keskimäärin vanhempia kuin vain yhden osajärjestelmän kuntoutukseen osallistuneet ja myös naisten osuus oli heillä suurempi. Rekisteritietoja kuntoutuksesta on hankala koota kattavasti, sillä järjestelmä on hyvin hajanainen ja toimijoita ja rekisterinpitäjiä on lukuisia. Myös kuntoutuksen määrittely aineistoista osoittautui vaikeaksi. Yhtenäiset tietojärjestelmät kuntoutuksesta palvelisivat paitsi tutkijoita, myös kuntoutujia. Abstract Prevalence and overlap of participation in rehabilitation in different subsystems – a register-based study among residents of the city of Oulu, Finland, in 2018 Knowledge of the whole spectrum of rehabilitation and of the use of different rehabilitation services by the same individuals is quite fragmented and incomplete. The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence and overlap of participation in rehabilitation in different subsystems among residents of the city of Oulu, Finland, in 2018 using extensive register-based data (N=192,844). The study examines rehabilitation organized by the public social and health care system, by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, by the earnings-related pension system, as well as physiotherapy in occupational health care and private physiotherapy reimbursed by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. In 2018, 18 per cent of the residents of Oulu received rehabilitation of at least one of the examined subsystems (N=34,061). Receiving rehabilitation of public social and health care was the most common; the rarest was rehabilitation within the earnings-related pension system. Women participated in rehabilitation more often than men. Using rehabilitation services was most common in men aged 65 and over, and in women aged 45–64. It was least common in men aged 16–24 years and in women under 16 years of age. The majority (90%) of those who participated in rehabilitation had participated in rehabilitation of only one subsystem. Participation in rehabilitation of several subsystems was more common in women than in men. It was most common in those aged 45–64 years and least common in those under 16 years of age. Those who received rehabilitation of at least two subsystems were, on average, older than those who received rehabilitation of only one subsystem, and more often women. It is difficult to compile comprehensive register data on rehabilitation, as the system is very fragmented and there are many organizers and registrars. Defining rehabilitation from the data also proved difficult. Unified information systems on rehabilitation would serve not only researchers but also rehabilitees. Keywords: rehabilitation, register-based research, Finland

Nollapersoona Kelan virkailijoiden direktiiveissä

Artikkelissa tarkastellaan nollapersoonaisen modaaliverbirakenteen käyttöä direktiivinä (esim. tämä hakemus pitäs vielä täyttää). Aineistona on 11,5 tuntia Kansaneläkelaitoksen eli Kelan toimistoissa videolle tallennettuja aitoja asiakaspalvelutilanteita, 131 yksittäistä tilannetta. Aineistossa esiintyvät neljä virkailijaa ovat noin 30-vuotiaita; asiakkaiden ikä vaihtelee noin 18 ja 80 vuoden välillä. Analyysi osoittaa, että nollapersoonan referenssi on ainakin muodollisesti avoin ja Kelan tilanteissa se usein kattaa sekä paikalla olevan asiakkaan että muut samassa tilanteessa olevat ihmiset. Siten nollapersoonalla ilmaistaan eksplisiittisesti, että kaikkia kohdellaan samoin säännöin eikä asiakkaalta vaadita mitään poikkeuksellista. Se ikään kuin perustelee itse itsensä. Modaaliverbi (esim. kannattaa, pitää, täytyä, voida) puolestaan tuo lausumaan jonkin keskustelun ulkoisen velvoitteen. Aineistossa nollapersoonaisia modaaliverbidirektiivejä käytetään usein silloin, kun virkailija ei käsittele itsestään selvänä, että asiakas tulee noudattamaan saamaansa direktiiviä, vaan direktiiviin liittyy epävarmuustekijöitä. Näitä ovat arkaluonteisuus, erilinjaisuus, toiminnon aiheuttama vaiva tai toiminnon uutuus vuorovaikutustilanteessa. Nollapersoonainen modaaliverbidirektiivi ottaa hienovaraisesti huomioon toimintoon liittyvät epävarmuustekijät mutta osoittaa silti toiminnon olevan tilanteessa tarpeellinen. Nollapersoonalausumia verrataan artikkelissa toiseen direktiivityyppiin, 2. persoonan modaaliverbilausumiin (esim. tää sun pitäs kuitenki täyttää vielä). Niissäkin modaaliverbi välittää tilanteen ulkopuolelta tulevan käskyn, mutta lausuma rajataan koskemaan ainoastaan yhtä asiakasta ja hänen velvollisuutensa tehdään näkyviksi. 2. persoonan modaaliverbidirektiiveillä annetaan yleensä lisäohjeita jo meneillään olevassa prosessissa tai toistetaan jokin jo annettu direktiivi. Lisäksi niitä käytetään yleensä vain silloin, kun asiakas on virkailijaa nuorempi, kun taas nollapersoonadirektiivejä esitetään kaikenikäisille asiakkaille. Zero-person subjects and modal verbs in directives: a study of employees at the Social Insurance Institution of Finland The article analyses the directive use of a Finnish zero person + modal verb construction, e.g. tämä hakemus pitäs vielä täyttää (‘one should fill in this application form’). The data comprises 11.5 hours of service encounters videotaped at the offices of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (in Finnish: Kansaneläkelaitos = Kela), 131 encounters in total. The four employees in these encounters are all in their thirties, while their clients are between 18–80 years of age. The referent of a zero-person construction is formally open, and in the service encounters analysed here its referent is often not only the client but anyone else who finds themselves in a similar situation. Therefore, the zero person explicitly expresses the notion that all clients are treated in an equal manner. The modal verb (e.g. pitää, täytyä ‘must, have to, should’; voida ‘be able to’; kannattaa ‘be worthwhile’) denotes an obligation that comes from outside the situation at hand. The analysis of the data indicates that a zero person + modal verb construction is often used when the directive involves contingencies, such as delicacy, disalignment, imposition, or a previously undiscussed action. The zero person + modal verb construction displays the speaker’s orientation towards contingencies but also indicates the necessity of the action in question. The zero-person construction stands in contrast to another directive construction, that of the 2nd-person subject + modal verb (e.g. tää sun pitäs kuitenki täyttää vielä ‘you should still fill in this one’). The modal verb conveys an external obligation, but the 2nd-person pronoun refers to one sole person and makes explicit his/her responsibilities. This construction is mainly used when reformulating a previous directive or giving additional advice. Moreover, it is usually only used when addressing younger clients, whereas the zero-person construction is suitable to clients of all ages.