Sick Fund Guidelines
The Sick Fund pays out a percentage of wages lost due to illness and for maternity leave in the case of a female employee.
This Fund does not pay for medical expenses.
What does the sick pay fund pay?
The fund will pay an employee 80% of their basic wage for the first 10 sick days in a year.
Thereafter the fund will pay the employee 33% of their basic wage from the 11th to 20th days, in the same year.
Employees that have more than 10 years’ contributions paid on their behalf will receive an additional 5 days per year paid at 80% of their basic wage.
This means that the first 15 sick days a year will be paid at 80% of the basic wage and the employee will be paid 33% of their basic wage from the 16th day to the 20th day.
Where an employee is on maternity leave the fund will pay 33% of her of her wage as per the last contribution code wage category, for a maximum period of 120 days.
Dread disease cover
Please note that should employees wish to claim more than 20 days per Benefit year, the Fund requires proof (in the form of a medical certificate) that they are suffering from one of the following dread diseases.
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Anaemia
- Apallic Syndrome
- Aplastic Anaemia
- Bacterial Meningitis
- Benign Brain Tumour
- Blindness
- Brain Surgery
- Cancer
- Chronic Liver Disease
- Chronic Lung Disease
- Coma
- Coronary Artery Disease requiring surgery
- Encephalitis
- Full Blown AIDS
- Fulminant Viral Hepatitis
- Heart Attack
- Heart Valve Replacement
- Irreversible Organic Degenerative Brain Disorders
- Kidney Failure
- Major Burns
- Major Head Trauma
- Major Organ Transplant
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Other Serious Coronary Artery Disease
- Paralysis
- Paraplegia
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Poliomyelitis
- Primary Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
- Spinal Surgery
- Stroke
- Surgery to Aorta
- Terminal Illness
- Tuberculosis (Only if In-Hospital treatment is required)
All cases will be considered individually. Should any employee suffer from any disease not listed above, they are required to submit the proof to the BIBC for consideration by the Sick Fund Committee.
Why is a sick certificate required?
The certificate identifies the actual date the employee visited the medical practitioner for the first time. The fund will only pay from this date.
The diagnosis should be clearly indicated on the certificate otherwise the claim will not be processed. The certificate will only be valid if issued by a registered doctor, registered nurse, hospital, or clinic.
What are the exclusions?
The following conditions are excluded:
- Self-inflicted injuries
- Drug abuse
- Alcohol abuse
- Family responsibility leave
- Injuries covered under the Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, 1993
