Doctors will be able to issue a sick leave in the electronic form (e-ZLA) from 1st January 2016 and it will be automatically sent to ZUS. The institution will put the sick leave on the payer's profile on the Platform of Electronic Services on the next day at the latest. In result, employees will not be obliged to deliver their sick leave in the paper form within 7 days from its issue. The introduction of the electronic circulation of sick leaves means that patients will have less duties, doctors will have more facilities and entrepreneurs will benefit from it – explains Marta Juśko, Department of Customer Service in Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych.
All payers who pay contributions for more than five people should create a profile on the Platform of Electronic Services. It is available for all payers who register themselves earlier and authenticate their identity in one of the headquarters of ZUS – explains Marta Juśko. People who have a trusted profile e-PUAP or qualified certificate do not have to authenticate their identity because they confirmed it at the stage of profile’s registration. Then, the profile is activated and they may benefit from all available services – adds Juśko.
The obligation to create a profile on the Platform of Electronic Services does not concern payers who pay contributions for less than 5 people. However, they are obliged to notify their insured in writing about the obligation of delivering their sick leave in the paper form in the moment when the sick leave is issued in the electronic form. Moreover, it would be advisable for the group of entrepreneurs to create a profile on the Platform of Electronic Services. The most important benefit for entrepreneurs is immediate information about having a sick leave by the insured – claims Marta Juśko. The next benefit is lack of necessity to check if the insured delivered their sick leave within 7 days. Moreover, there is also a possibility of quick control. It is especially important in the case of short-term sick-leaves. Another advantage is permanent access to sick leaves issued to employees – adds Juśko. The profile enables payers to benefit from such services as e.g. access to information about the balance of contributions, possibility of electronic sending of applications and receiving responses to them as well as reservation of visits in any headquarters.
Two forms of sick leaves – paper and electronic – will be in force by the end of 2017. If a doctor issues a sick leave in the paper form, they will be obliged to inform us about the necessity of delivering it to our employer (if we are employees) or to ZUS (if we are entrepreneurs) – explains Marta Juśko. The withdrawal of sick leaves in the paper form is envisaged on 1st January 2018.