Overview of Employment Injury benefits in the European Union and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

Very often in the member countries of the European Union (EU) and of the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD), employment injury benefits are not provided by one unique scheme but by a diversity of schemes. In several European countries, work injuries are not treated through a dedicated Employment Injury program, but through the regular medical insurance system and/or through the sickness/regular invalidity insurance schemes. For instance Croatia, Netherlands and Romania provide permanent invalidity pensions through the regular invalidity pension scheme.
The different policies of the EU and OECD members can be divided in five groups.
  1. Countries in which employment injury benefits, namely cash benefits, medical benefits and rehabilitation benefits, are provided by dedicated Employment Injury schemes.
  2. Countries where cash benefits are covered by specific employment injury schemes, but medicals benefits are covered by the standard health insurance. Rehabilitation benefits may be covered by health insurance or by schemes dedicated to all rehabilitations whether employment-related or not.
  3. Countries where cash benefits are covered partly or completely by the standard pension scheme(s), often with specific provisions in case of employment injury. Medicals benefits are covered by the standard health insurance and rehabilitation benefits may be covered by health insurance or by schemes dedicated to all rehabilitations whether employment-related or not.
  4. Countries where the main Social Security Scheme is responsible for one or more of the benefits. These can be like Mexico, where the Standard Social Security takes charge of every benefits, or like Portugal, where the Standard Social Security is only involved in the medical benefits.
  5. Countries with a different approach than the ones described above. For example, Croatia provides cash benefits through both standard pension scheme and dedicated employment injury scheme, medical benefits through the employment injury scheme, and rehabilitation benefits through both standard pension scheme and dedicated employment injury scheme.


Countries Cash Benefits Medical Benefits Rehabilitation Benefits
Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Finland, Germany, Hungary*, Israel, Republic of Korea, United States Employment Injury scheme(s) Employment Injury scheme(s) Employment Injury scheme(s)
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Spain, Sweden Employment Injury scheme(s) Health insurance Health insurance or scheme(s) dedicated to rehabilitation.
Denmark, Italy, Netherlands**, Romania, Turkey, United Kingdom Standards pensions scheme(s) and Employment Injury scheme(s) Health insurance Health insurance or scheme(s) dedicated to rehabilitation.
France, Ireland, Mexico, Norway, Portugal
 
Varies, but the main Social Security Scheme is involved in one or more benefits
Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland  Varies  Varies  Varies

*In Hungary, the Employment Injury scheme is part of the Health Insurance.
**In Netherlands, there are no specific Employment Injury scheme, only the pensions schemes.