Sanatorium without waiting and for free. We will go to the health resort almost immediately

• If an employee is at risk of losing their ability to work, ZUS may pay for their stay in a sanatorium. Treatment, accommodation, meals, and even transport will be free.
• An application for medical rehabilitation must be submitted by the physician with whom the employee is undergoing treatment.
• It is possible to start a rehabilitation session just a few weeks after the referral.
• Rehabilitation lasts 24 days, but the head of the rehabilitation centre may extend or shorten it after prior consent from ZUS.

Employees with health problems have the option of going to a sanatorium sooner as part of the pension prevention program. The program allows you to start a rehabilitation session just a few weeks after the referral, and all of its costs are covered by ZUS.

According to ZUS, the rehabilitation program can be used if the employee is at risk of losing the ability to work . However, there must be a chance that he or she will regain it after rehabilitation .

Additionally, one of the following conditions must be met:

• be insured with ZUS (work professionally),
• receive sickness benefit or rehabilitation benefit,
• receive a periodic pension due to incapacity for work.

You can also benefit from rehabilitation if:

• during the inspection of the employee's sick leave, the medical examiner determines such a need,
• the employee applies for rehabilitation benefits or a disability pension.

It is necessary to prepare an Application for medical rehabilitation as part of the ZUS pension prevention program (PR-4 Application) , which will be completed by the doctor treating the employee.

The application should be submitted to any ZUS facility. For the examination by the medical examiner, you should take the prepared documentation from the treatment.

The treating physician may electronically submit an application for medical rehabilitation under the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) pension prevention program on behalf of the employee.

Important: The doctor may issue an application for rehabilitation during the issuance of an electronic sick leave (e-ZLA) on the ZUS Electronic Services Platform . Such an application does not need to be submitted in person. The doctor will send it electronically to ZUS.

The decision regarding rehabilitation is issued by the ZUS medical examiner:

• after conducting the test or
• based on collected treatment documentation.

If the medical examiner issues a decision on the need for rehabilitation, the employee will receive a referral notification by post with information on the date and place of rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation lasts 24 days, but the head of the rehabilitation center can extend or shorten it after prior consent from ZUS . During this time, the employee receives a sick leave, which allows them to participate in treatment without having to use vacation leave. After completing rehabilitation at the center, the employee will receive a document "Information on the completed rehabilitation" with the most important information about its course and health condition.

ZUS covers the costs of rehabilitation: treatment, accommodation and meals.

ZUS also reimburses the costs of travel by the cheapest means of public transport from your place of residence to/from the rehabilitation centre.

You can be referred for rehabilitation in the system:

inpatient (24-hour stay in a rehabilitation center) in case of the following diseases:

• musculoskeletal system,
• musculoskeletal system after an accident (early post-accident rehabilitation),
• circulatory system,
• respiratory system,
• psychosomatic,
• oncological after treatment of breast cancer,
• vocal organ,
• central nervous system;

outpatient (daily travel to rehabilitation at designated hours) in the case of the following conditions:

• musculoskeletal system,
• circulatory system, including that monitored telemedicine.

The doctor at the rehabilitation center will individually determine treatments and classes for:

1. kinesitherapy, e.g. manual therapy, isometric exercises, active free exercises, water exercises, group exercises, etc.,
2. physical therapy, e.g. heat therapy, cryotherapy, hydrotherapy, high and low frequency electromagnetic field treatment, electrotherapy, ultrasound treatment, laser therapy, etc.,
3. massage, e.g. classic, vibration, etc.;

• psychological interactions, including: individual therapy, psychoeducation and relaxation training;
• health education in the field of:

1. principles of proper nutrition,
2. risk factors in lifestyle diseases,
3. basic knowledge about the disease requiring rehabilitation,
4. health risk factors at work,
5. basic information about the rights and obligations of the employer and employee,
6. addiction prevention and treatment.