Specific Schemes & Applications by the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance

The Paphos Chamber of Commerce and Industry informs its members / companies and all interested parties that the Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Insurance (mlsi) has announced the operation of a special website where interested parties can find all forms regarding its support measures of the Ministry. More specifically:

Special Child Care License

➢ Valid from 16/3/2020 to 12/4/2020 for:

• Working parents who have responsibility for the care of children up to 15 years of age or children with disabilities, regardless of age and the nature of their work.

They cannot work either remotely or at home or flexibly and if there is no home help.

➢The application is only submitted by employees who are insured with the Social Insurance Fund  in January 2020 and have last monthly gross salary up to € 2500

➢ The period of  issue of the Special Care Permit for Child Care may not exceed4 weeks total for both parents.

➢ If one parent receives Special Child Care Permit, the other cannot receive for the same period.

➢ If one parent works and the other does not (either because he or she receives an unemployment benefit or a special unemployment benefit or disease benefit or special disease benefit either because it is unemployed or for similar reasons), the working parent is not entitled to Special Child Care Leave for that period, unless the parent does working has himself or herself been infected with COVID 19 or is hospitalized or a person with or is a person with a compulsory limitation.

➢ To qualify for a childcare allowance you need to ensure the consent of the employer.

➢ For parents of people with disabilities, Special Child Care Permit is granted if no care allowance is granted to these persons by the Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Security

• Special Child Care Special Leave Allowance is not granted for a period for which

the applicant receives an unemployment benefit, a special unemployment benefit, sickness benefit, special sickness allowance.

How the Child Care Special Leave allowance is calculated, provided they are met all terms and conditions:

➢ Based on January 2020 salary or if there is no data for the last salary 2020, based on the last salary for which there is evidence within the last 9 months in the register of Social Insurance Services:

• For the first € 1,000 of monthly salary, a 60% allowance is calculated for

this part of the salary and for the part of the salary from € 1,000 to € 2,000

a 40% allowance is calculated. The maximum amount of allowance for a period of one per month may not exceed € 1,000.

• For single parent families the above rates increase to 70% and 50%

respectively and the maximum amount of allowance for a period of one month cannot

exceeds  € 1,200.

• Cases of single parent families exceeding the last monthly salary

The € 2,500 will be examined based on the particular features of each case.

• The allowance will be calculated in proportion to the days for which becomes the applicant / beneficiary.

➢ For the period for which the Special Care Leave allowance will be paid Children, the employer is exempt from the obligation to pay wages to his employees who received this allowance.

➢ The period of the Special Child Care Leave will be considered as a simulation period insurance for contributions to the Social Insurance Fund and will be credited depending on the beneficiary's insurance account.

Please find more information and the applications at www.coronavirus.mlsi.gov.cy.

Special Sickness Allowance

Valid until 12/4/2020 for private employees or self-employed persons who fall into any of the following categories:

• Persons on the list of vulnerable groups, as defined from the Ministry of Health in the press release dated 16/3/2020 or any future revision of it and hold a certificate from him their personal physician (only if the nature of the work does not permit teleworking or work from home or flexible working hours).
• Persons subject to compulsory restraint (quarantine) and self-limitation regime (only if the nature of the work does not allow teleworking or work from home or flexible working hours) based on instructions Department of Health and Medical Holding Certificate, issued by Ministry of Health, or as directed by Ministry of Health staff doctor,
• Persons who are infected with COVID 19 and hold a certificate from the Ministry of Health,
• Persons aged 63-65 years who do not receive a statutory pension, which fall into categories (i), (ii) and (iii) above and hold corresponding certificate.

➢Special Sickness Allowance is granted only to persons who work during period for which they apply for the sick leave and are insured at  Social Security Fund, are up to 65 years old and do not receive statutory pension.

How is the sickness benefit calculated provided all conditions are met and prerequisites:

➢ For self-employed persons and self-employed persons for whom the insurance requirements under the Social Security Act, at 60% of value of insurance units in accordance with the above Law.

➢ For self-employed persons who are not eligible for insurance the Social Security Act and they are insured in the Social Fund Insurance in January 2020 will be paid Special Sickness Allowance under conditions, the amount of which will be determined by a subsequent Decision.

➢ For a self-employed person for whom insurance is not covered conditions will amount to 60% of the weekly amount of policyholders his earnings based on the income for which the fourth quarter of 2019 had obligation to pay contributions to the Social Security Fund.

➢ The maximum amount that can be paid as a special sickness benefit for employees of the private sector and for self-employed for a period of one month can not exceeds € 1,214.

➢Special Sickness Allowance is not granted for the period for which the applicant receives Unemployment Allowance, Special Unemployment Allowance, Sickness Allowance, Special Leave Allowance for Child Care.

➢ The period for which the Sickness Allowance is granted will be taken into account for the calculation and provision of the sickness allowance provided for by the provisions of the Social Security Laws.

➢ For the period for which the sickness benefit will be paid, the employer is exempt from his obligation to pay the salary to his employees who received this Special Sickness Allowance.

➢ The period of the Special sickness allowance will be considered as a simulated period insurance for contributions to the Social Insurance Fund and will be credited depending on the beneficiary's insurance account.

Please find more information and the applications at www.coronavirus.mlsi.gov.cy.

SUBSIDY SCHEME FOR SELF – EMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS

• This scheme applies only for self-employed individuals who have completely suspended their operations under the decrees of Cyprus Government (information: pio.gov.cy/coronavirus) or have not fully suspended their work but have a 25% reduction in turnover in March 2020 and foresee a corresponding decrease in April 2020 compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. If the Company did not operate in the previous year then the comparison will be made with months preceding March 2020.
• The following professions are excluded from the scheme: Pharmacologists, microbiologists and similar Doctors (Dentists are not included), Veterinarians, Pharmacists, Medical Device and equipment operators, Insurers, Insurance agents, kiosks, grocers, mini marketers and diary manufacturers.
• Self-employed individuals will also submit the application for full or partial suspension plan for their employees.
• For the period for which the special self-employee benefit will be paid, the self-employed individual is exempted from the obligation to pay contributions to the social security services.
• The basic requirement in order to be able to participate in the above scheme is that the self – employed individual did not fire any employee from 01^st March 2020 and if the application is approved, any employee should not be dismissed both for the period of the participation in the Plan and for an additional period equal to the period of participation in the Plan, plus one extra month (except for reasons justified without notice).
• The Special Suspension Plan is valid from 16.03.2020 to 12.04.2020, taking into account the dates of the Decrees of the Minister of Health or the decisions of the council of ministers on the compulsory full suspension of work and may have an earlier date of 16 March if the mandatory suspension decision was taken before 16^th
• In order to be able to participate in the scheme an electronic application (EEA.5 Form) must be submitted on coronavirus.mlsi.gov.cy by the self – employed individual.
• The special subsidy is payable to the applicant only if he submit the EEA.6 form “Declaration of Bank accounts details”. The relevant form can be found at coronavirus.mlsi.gov.cy.
• The special benefit paid to beneficiaries is calculated as follows :
  • The weekly allowance will be equal to 60% of the weekly amount of the insurable earnings, under which the beneficiary was required to pay contributions to the social security fund for the fourth quarter of 2019.
  • The minimum amount that can be paid as an allowance is €300 for a four week period and a maximum €900 for a four week period.
  • The special benefit is not provided for any period during which the applicant receives other unemployment benefit, sickness benefit, special sickness benefit, special leave allowance or other similar benefits from the Social Security Fund.

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