Sickness Grant: What is and who is entitled to receive?

O Sickness Grant is a cash benefit paid by Social Security “to compensate for the loss of income of workers who cannot work temporarily because they are sick”, can be read in a practical guide the public body on the subject. 

Note: “Sickness is any condition which causes incapacity for work, not arising from professional causes or from acts of third parties entitled to compensation“.

Who's it for?

This benefit is intended to: 

• Workers on behalf of others, who deduct for social security;
• Self-employed persons who deduct for social security;
• Persons enrolled in the voluntary social security scheme:
  – domestic seafarers and watchmen of foreign companies;
  – people who receive scholarships for scientific research.
• Persons receiving compensation for accidents at work or occupational disease who are working and making discounts for Social Security, if the amount of the compensation is less than the sickness allowance (the sickness allowance is equal to the amount of the compensation minus the amount of the allowance;
• Persons receiving pensions by accident at work or occupational disease provided that they are working and making social security discounts;
• Persons receiving compensation pensions provided that they are working and making social security discounts;
• Pre-retirement persons who are working and making social security discounts;
• Domestic service workers;
• Workers in the field of culture on behalf of others (TCO) under a very short-term employment contract, registered in the Register of Culture Professionals (RPAC);
• Invalidity or old age pensioners provided that they are not receiving the same pension, i.e. that the invalidity or old age pension is interrupted;
• Workers belonging to the Portuguese Business Bank (BPN). 

You should also know that, in general, you are entitled to comply with all of the following conditions:

• have a Temporary Disability Certificate (ITC/Low) (1) passed by a public, private and social health care provider, including primary health care, drug prevention and treatment services, and hospital health care, including emergency services;
• comply with the guarantee period;
• comply with the professionalism index, unless you are an independent and maritime worker covered by the voluntary social insurance scheme.
• have the contribution situation settled on the date on which you become entitled to the allowance if you are an independent worker or are covered by the voluntary social security scheme. 

Warning: “ITCs are required to be sent electronically by the Health Services to Social Security, except for duly proven exceptional situations.”. 

In addition, “employees (contract) in order to be entitled to sickness benefit, in addition to having to present the Temporary Incapacity Certificate for work (ITC), must have at the same time fulfilled the guarantee period and the professionalism index”.

You can consult here all information on the subject.