The Ministry of Labor is preparing a revolution in L4 for children. Parents will gain more days
Parents of children with cancer have long been calling for an extension of the limit of the care allowance, the so-called L4 per child. Currently – depending on the situation – it ranges from 14 to 60 days. Definitely not enough to even get through the first stage of treatment. This means that caregivers are faced with a dramatic choice: caring for a seriously ill child or working. Representatives of the Ministry of Labor have been signaling for some time that they are considering introducing changes, but there have been no details.
As Business Insider learns, the ministry, led by Minister Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, has prepared a draft bill increasing the limit of care allowance. The changes it contains are colossal.
Such changes are proposed by the ministry
The changes provide for an additional 60 days of care allowance for the care of a seriously ill child. This means that after the changes, parents will have the right to: from 74 to 120 days.
The situation will be assessed by the doctor issuing the sick leave, taking into account, among others: the state of independence of the sick child. The procedure for granting additional care allowance will be the same as for obtaining L4.
The project has already been submitted and will soon be entered into the list of legislative works, and then go through public consultations. Considering how long parents of sick children have been waiting for a change, these seem like a formality.
The Ministry estimates that the cost of the changes is approximately PLN 100 million per year. The new powers are to enter into force from the beginning of 2027.
Read also: “I'm giving you Hania's new address: row 8, section 3, cemetery.” Sick people in Poland do not live up to what the state promised them
How much L4 per child? Current limits and rules
L4 for a child (formally: care allowance) is granted to a person covered by sickness insurance who must personally take care of the child and therefore cannot work.
The parent's eligibility for the care allowance (and its daily limit) depends on the child's age:
- Sick child up to 14 years of age – up to 60 days of care per calendar year;
- Sick child over 14 years of age – up to 14 days;
- Sick child with a disability over 14 years of age – 30 days;
- A healthy child up to 8 years of age – 60 days in the case ofwhen it requires care due to exceptional circumstances, e.g. sudden closure of the nursery/kindergarten/school or illness of the nanny/caregiver;
Importantly, each parent is entitled to 60/14/30 days of care allowance separately — this limit is not shared. However, the child's guardians cannot receive the benefit at the same time.
The amount of the benefit is 80%. salary of the person using it. To receive the benefit, the doctor issues an electronic sick leave certificate (e-ZLA) to the guardian, and the parent submits an appropriate application to the employer or ZUS.
Author: Natalia Szewczak, journalist and editorial secretary of Business Insider Polska. Contact: [email protected]
