Information package: Rehabilitation allowance for young persons
This information package outlines the number of recipients of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons and trends in the number of recipients by gender, region and diagnostic category. It also looks at other benefit and service recipiency among recipients of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons. The text concludes with an overview of legislative amendments and research related to the rehabilitation allowance for young persons.
The purpose of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons is to ensure that young people can start and finish vocational rehabilitation, to improve their chances of finding employment, and to provide economic security.
The rehabilitation allowance for young persons is intended for young people between 16 and 19 years of age whose ability to work and study, earn a living or choose a career has declined because of illness, injury or impairment, and who need particular support to benefit from vocational rehabilitation. A personal study and rehabilitation plan is also a requirement.
The number of recipients has increased following changes to legislation
In 2023, nearly 15,900 young people received the rehabilitation allowance for young persons.
The number of recipients of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons has increased significantly in recent years, from 4,681 in 2010, to 7,729 in 2015, 13,966 in 2021, and further to 15,868 in 2023.
The changes made in 2014 to the legislation governing vocational rehabilitation were the main factor behind this increase. They removed the requirement of impending disability from the qualifying criteria for the rehabilitation allowance for young persons.
The legislative changes also made vocational rehabilitation and the rehabilitation allowance for young persons more widely available. Since then, in addition to the decline in work ability, factors relevant to eligibility have included not only the deterioration of the ability to study and the client’s overall circumstances, but also their physical, mental and social functioning.
Until 2019, there were more men than women among the recipients of rehabilitation allowance for young persons, but since 2020, women have been in the majority. In 2023, 8,587 women and 7,281 men received the rehabilitation allowance for young persons.
Regional differences in the take-up of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons
In 2023, the rehabilitation allowance for young persons was received by
- 5.1% of the population aged 16–19
- 1.0% of the population aged 20–24.
The rehabilitation allowance for young persons can be granted to young people between 16 and 19 years of age. However, payment can continue past the age of 20 until the recipient has completed the degree or qualifications specified in their study and rehabilitation plan.
The share of recipients of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons in the population aged 16-19 was highest in Pohjois-Savo (10.2%) and Pohjois-Karjala (8.9%), and lowest (in mainland Finland) in Uusimaa (2.2%) and Päijät-Häme (3.3%).
In the 20-24 age group, the share of recipients was again highest in Pohjois-Savo (1.9%), in Etelä-Savo (1.9%), in Pohjois-Karjala (1.6%) and in Central Finland at 1.6%. The share of recipients was lowest (in mainland Finland) in Uusimaa (0.6%) and Etelä-Karjala (0.6%).
Mental and behavioural disorders are the most common reason for granting a rehabilitation allowance for young persons.
The most common medical reasons for receiving the rehabilitation allowance for young persons are
- mental and behavioural disorders
- neurological illnesses
- congenital disorders and chromosomal abnormalities.
At the end of 2023, 92% of recipients who received the rehabilitation allowance for young persons had a mental or behavioural disorder. The most common diagnoses in the category of mental and behavioural disorders were
- hyperactivity disorders (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD)
- depression
- anxiety disorders
- pervasive developmental disorders
- learning disorders
- mild intellectual disability.
Other common illnesses and impairments for which a rehabilitation allowance for young persons is granted included:
- cerebral palsy
- epilepsy
- Down’s syndrome
- congenital disorders that affect multiple organ systems
- eye and ear disorders
- certain diseases of the musculoskeletal system that occur during childhood and adolescence, such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
Disorders of psychological development and behavioural and affective disorders are on the increase
There has been a significant increase in disorders of psychological development, behavioural, and affective disorders typically appearing in childhood or adolescence, mood affective disorders, and neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders as the grounds for receiving a rehabilitation allowance for young persons. Compared to previous years, intellectual disability is now a less common reason for receiving a rehabilitation allowance for young persons.
This change was driven by a legislative amendment in 2014 that added the deterioration of learning ability and person’s overall circumstances as grounds for awarding the allowance. The amendment has both increased the number of recipients of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons and enabled young people with issues such as learning disabilities to qualify for the allowance.
Recipients of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons and other Kela benefits
Recipients of the rehabilitation allowance for young people commonly receive other benefits. This is also common among recipients of other benefits; many people receive more than one social security benefit at the same time. For detailed figures on the rehabilitation allowance for young persons, please see the tables in this section.
Just over one quarter (26.8%) of the recipients of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons received vocational rehabilitation benefits, often for the cost of learning materials and travel to and from school. A little more than one in ten (11%) of the recipients received intensive medical rehabilitation, while fewer than one in ten received rehabilitative psychotherapy (8.4%) and discretionary rehabilitation (7%).
Just over a quarter (26.4%) of the recipients of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons received disability benefits.
Nearly one fifth (18.2%) received reimbursements for private doctors’ fees. Less commonly, recipients received reimbursement for examination, treatment, and dental care costs. Kela paid reimbursements for travel costs to under one in six (15.4%) of recipients.
Psychotropic medicines were the largest category of medication purchases eligible for reimbursement. Nearly half of the recipients (46.6%) had purchased such medicines. Just over a quarter (26.7%) had purchased medicines for ADHD.
Sickness allowance was paid to 6.2% of recipients. Two per cent received rehabilitation allowance paid during a young person’s vocational rehabilitation and 2.8% received another rehabilitation allowance from Kela.
Kela paid disability pensions to 1.9% and unemployment benefits to 6.3% of recipients.
Basic social assistance was paid to a little over a fifth (19.6%) of recipients, while one tenth (10.7%) received financial aid for students. General housing allowance was paid to a third (32.3%) of the recipients.
Benefits for families with children and conscript’s allowances were paid to less than one per cent of the recipients of each benefit.
| Table 1. Recipients of a rehabilitation allowance for young persons (N = 15,868) and other Kela benefits in 2023. | |
| Other Kela benefits paid to recipients of a rehabilitation allowance for young persons in 2023 | % (number of people) |
| Psychotropic medicines | 46.6 (7,399) |
| General housing allowance (own or spouse’s) | 32.3 (5,118) |
| Vocational rehabilitation | 26.8 (4,247) |
| ADHD medicines | 26.7 (4,230) |
| Disability benefits | 26.4 (4,186) |
| Basic social assistance | 19.6 (3,114) |
| Doctor’s fees | 18.2 (2,881) |
| Travel | 15.4 (2,437) |
| Intensive medical rehabilitation | 11.0 (1,748) |
| Financial aid for students | 10.7 (1,701) |
| Rehabilitative psychotherapy | 8.4 (1,338) |
| Discretionary rehabilitation | 7.0 (1,114) |
| Unemployment benefits paid by Kela | 6.2 (989) |
| Any sickness allowance | 6.2 (988) |
| Sickness allowance | 6.2 (987) |
| Labour market subsidy | 6.0 (948) |
| Rehabilitation allowance under the Act on Kela Rehabilitation | 2.8 (442) |
| Examination and treatment | 2.4 (375) |
| Dental care | 2.2 (352) |
| Rehabilitation allowance, vocational rehabilitation for young persons (Section 7 a) | 2.0 (312) |
| Kela disability pension | 1.9 (299) |
| Child benefit | 0.5 (83) |
| Parental allowance | 0.5 (77) |
| Conscript’s allowance | 0.4 (65) |
| Basic unemployment allowance | 0.3 (46) |
| Rehabilitation allowance, No information on legal basis of eligibility | 0.1 (19) |
| Child home care allowance | 0.1 (13) |
| Rehabilitation allowance, Child Welfare Act | 0.0 (3) |
| Rehabilitation allowance, Act on Treatment for Substance Abuse | 0.0 (1) |
| Rehabilitation allowance, Health Care Act | 0.0 (1) |
In 2023, one in four (25.2%) of the recipients of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons (3,991) persons) were entitled to the special rate of reimbursement for at least one prescription medicine. The special rate of reimbursement applies to certain severe and long-term illnesses.
The most common diagnostic categories among persons entitled to the special rate of reimbursement were:
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases
- musculoskeletal disorders
- nervous system disorders
- digestive system disorders
- mental and behavioural disorders
- tumours
Among recipients of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons, the most common diagnoses entitling them to the special rate of reimbursement were:
- ADHD
- asthma
- epilepsy
- type I diabetes mellitus
- non-organic psychotic disorder, not otherwise specified
- juvenile idiopathic arthritis
| Table 2. Entitlement to the special rate of reimbursement for medicines in effect as of 2023 by main diagnostic category among recipients of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons, %. | |
| Main diagnostic categories (ICD-10) among persons entitled to the special rate of reimbursement for medicine costs | % |
| endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases | 24.9 |
| Musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases | 10.8 |
| Nervous system diseases | 9.7 |
| Digestive system diseases | 8.9 |
| Mental and behavioural disorders | 7.8 |
| Tumours | 6.7 |
| Circulatory system diseases | 5.9 |
| Skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases | 4.8 |
| Genitourinary system diseases | 4.5 |
| Diseases of the blood and haematopoietic system, plus specific autoimmune diseases | 4.5 |
| Congenital anomalies, deformities and chromosomal abnormalities | 4.1 |
| Respiratory system diseases | 2.2 |
| Diseases of the eye and ocular adnexa | 2.2 |
| Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified | 1.1 |
| Certain conditions originating during the perinatal period | 1.1 |
| Injury, poisoning, and certain other consequences of external cause | 0.4 |
| Factors influencing health status and contact with health care providers | 0.4 |
Purpose and target group of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons
The purpose of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons is to ensure the initiation and full implementation of a young person’s vocational rehabilitation, to improve their chances of employment, and to provide economic security.
A rehabilitation allowance for young persons aimed at ensuring access to vocational rehabilitation has been available since 1 August 1999 (Act on Rehabilitation allowances 611/1991, repealed). Since 1 October 2005, the rehabilitation allowance for young persons has been governed by the Act on the Rehabilitation Benefits and Rehabilitation Allowances Provided by Kela (566/2005, hereinafter referred to as the Kela Rehabilitation Act).
The minimum goal of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons is to allow them, to supplement the disability pension they may receive with additional income for their livelihood by means of vocational rehabilitation. The goal regarding additional income is less ambitious than under vocational rehabilitation, and the rehabilitation is not evaluated in the same way in terms of how appropriate it is for the client.
If the potential for vocational rehabilitation is difficult to estimate due to the nature of the illness, for example, Kela will usually grant a rehabilitation allowance for young persons rather than a disability pension. The planned rehabilitation must have a realistic goal of helping the client transition to the working world.
The rehabilitation allowance for young persons is available to persons who:
- are between the ages of 16 and 19,
- have an illness, injury or impairment that is detrimental to their ability to work or study or to choose an occupation or job,
- need specific support in order to undergo vocational rehabilitation, and
- who have had a personal study and rehabilitation plan (KHOPS) drawn up in their wellbeing services county to ensure their vocational rehabilitation and promote their employment.
The rehabilitation allowance for young persons is paid for the duration of the person’s studies or their participation in other rehabilitation aimed at securing employment until the end of the month in which the young adult turns 20 or until they have completed the degree or qualifications specified in their study and rehabilitation plan. The rehabilitation allowance for young persons in 2024 is a minimum of EUR 31.99 per working day, or approximately EUR 800 per month. Tax is withheld on the rehabilitation allowance for young persons.
Legislative changes affecting the rehabilitation allowance for young persons
- The Act on Rehabilitation Allowances (611/1991, repealed): Payment of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons began on 1 August 1999 to prevent the retirement of people aged 16 or 17
- Amendment to the Act effective from 1 April 2002: The age limit was increased to 20 years.
- The Act on the Rehabilitation Benefits and Allowances Provided by Kela (566/2005, hereinafter referred to as the Kela Rehabilitation Act).
- Amendment effective from 1 January 2014: changes in the vocational rehabilitation laws impacted the rehabilitation allowance for young persons, removing impending unemployment and introducing deterioration of the ability to study and evaluation of the client's overall circumstances as qualifying criteria; the concept of a ‘person with functional impairment’ was removed from the Kela Rehabilitation Act
- Amendment effective from 1 October 2015: codified in law the requirement that ‘significant deterioration of ability to work and study’ must be evaluated in the manner defined in section 6 of the Kela Rehabilitation Act (having previously only been outlined in a Government proposal (HE 3/2005 vp)
- Amendment effective from 1 January 2017: In addition to determining eligibility for rehabilitation allowance for young persons, Kela must check whether a client is entitled to education and training as a vocational rehabilitation measure. The minimum amount of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons and the rehabilitation allowance for vocational rehabilitation clients was raised to equal the guarantee pension
- Amendment effective from 1 January 2024: the minimum amount of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons and of the rehabilitation allowance paid during vocational rehabilitation decreased to the same level as in other rehabilitation, i.e. EUR 31.99 per working day.
