Kela stops paying Nat´l pensions to recipients living abroad

The national social insurance institution-Kela stopped paying national pensions to recipients who live outside Finland in countries that apply EU regulations on February 1, said Kela in a press release on Thursday.

The change may have an impact on which country is responsible for the costs of the affected person’s medical care and on whether they can receive care allowance for pensioners.

The change may also affect the amount of national pension paid to recipients who live in Finland but who have previously lived or worked in an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom.

Kela also stopped old-age or disability pensions under the national pension scheme to persons who live in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom from February 1.

Kela has sent a notice of this change to pensioners who live in these countries and who have so far been paid old-age or disability pensions under the national pension scheme.

If the only benefit a person has received from Finland is a national pension and the payment of their national pension has now been discontinued, Finland will no longer be responsible for the costs of their or their family members’ medical care, provided that the person lives in an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom and their family members live in the same country.

Any certificate of entitlement to medical care the person may have been issued in Finland will be revoked.

They will also no longer be able to use the European Health Insurance Card issued by Finland.

The entitlement to medical care also ends in cases where Finland has been responsible for the costs of medical care on the grounds that the person’s spouse has received a national pension from Finland.

If a person or a family member receives an earnings-related pension from Finland, Finland will continue to be responsible for the cost of medical care provided in their country of residence.

If a person who now lives in Finland has previously lived or worked in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, their national pension will be regarded as a minimum pension benefit under EU law from now on. Their pension will also be calculated differently. This means that the amount of their pension will be recalculated as a minimum pension the next time the national pension is reviewed.

The amount of national pension paid to the recipient may stay the same or it may increase or decrease on a case-by-case basis.

Any change in the amount of national pension that results from the recalculation may also affect the amount of such benefits as the housing allowance for pensioners and the guarantee pension.

The recalculation of the national pension as a minimum pension is estimated to affect up to about 32,000 recipients of national pensions who now live in Finland but who have previously lived or worked in an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom.

The change, however, does not apply to survivors’ pensions, spouses’ and orphans’ pensions.

They will continue to be paid to recipients living in EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The change will also have no impact on the social security agreements Finland has signed with the United States, Canada, Israel, Chile and Australia.

Kela can continue to pay pensions to recipients living in these countries on the basis of the social security agreements.

National pensions will remain available during a temporary stay outside Finland.

Authorised pension providers will continue to pay earnings-related pensions to recipients outside Finland as usual.