Information package: Rehabilitation allowance for young persons
The following is a brief overview of the current level and trends in the number of recipients of rehabilitation allowance for young persons, analysed by gender, region and diagnostic category. It also looks at other benefit and service recipiency among recipients of rehabilitation allowance for young persons. The text concludes with an overview of legislative amendments and research relevant to the allowance.
The purpose of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons is to ensure that young persons can start and finish vocational rehabilitation, to improve their chances of finding employment and to provide economic security.
The allowance is aimed at young persons 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 in legislation
In 2021, nearly 14,000 young persons received rehabilitation allowance for young persons.
The number of recipients has grown significantly in recent years from 4,681 in 2010 to 7,729 in 2015 and further to 13,966 in 2021.
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,
and made vocational rehabilitation and the allowance more widely available. Since 2014, the factors relevant to eligibility have included not only the deterioration of the ability to study and the clients’ overall circumstances, but also their physical, mental and social functioning.
Until 2019, there were more men than women among the recipients, but since 2020, women have been in the majority.
In 2021, rehabilitation allowance for young persons was paid to 7,304 women and 6,662 men.
Regional differences in the take-up of rehabilitation allowance for young persons
In 2021, rehabilitation allowance for young persons was received by
- 4.6% of the population aged 16–19
- 0.9% of the population aged 20–24
Rehabilitation allowance for young people can be granted to persons between 16 and 19. However, payment can continue past age 20 until the recipient has completed the degree or qualifications specified in their study and rehabilitation plan.
The share of recipients in the population aged 16–19 was highest in Pohjois-Savo (9.3%) and Pohjois-Karjala (8.9%), and lowest (in mainland Finland) in Uusimaa (2.2%) and Päijät-Häme (2.8%).
In the 20–24 age group, the highest population shares were again seen in Pohjois-Savo (2.2%) and Pohjois-Karjala (1.7%), along with Etelä-Savo (1.8%).
Mental and behavioural disorders are the most common reason for rehabilitation allowance recipiency among young persons The most common medical reasons for receiving rehabilitation allowance for young persons are
- mental and behavioural disorders
- neurological illnesses
- congenital malformations and chromosomal abnormalities.
At the end of 2021, 91% of the recipients of 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 (ADHD)
- depression
- mild intellectual disability
- pervasive developmental disorders
- anxiety disorders
- developmental disorders of scholastic skills
Other common illnesses and impairments behind recipiency of rehabilitation allowance for young persons included
- Down’s syndrome
- CP syndrome
- epilepsy
- illnesses of eye and ear
- certain musculoskeletal system that emerge in childhood or adolescence, such as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
Disorders of psychological development and behavioural and affective disorders are on the increase
As medical reasons for receiving rehabilitation allowance for young persons, 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. Compared to previous years, intellectual disability is today a less common reason for receiving rehabilitation allowance for young persons.
This is partly due to a legislative amendment carried out in 2014 that added the deterioration of learning ability and a person’s overall circumstances as grounds for awarding the allowance. The amendment both increased the number of recipients and enabled young persons with issues such learning disability to qualify for the allowance.
Recipients of rehabilitation allowance for young persons and other benefits available from Kela
Most of those who received rehabilitation allowance for young persons in 2021 were also granted other benefits. This is also common among recipients of other benefits, with many receiving more than one benefit at the same time. For detailed figures on the rehabilitation allowance for young persons, see the tables in this section.
More than a half (58%) of the recipients of rehabilitation allowance for young persons received vocational rehabilitation benefits from Kela, in many cases for travel costs to and from school and for learning materials. A little more than one in ten (11%) received intensive medical rehabilitation, while fewer than one in ten (8%) received rehabilitative psychotherapy. Other rehabilitation benefits were less prevalent among recipients of rehabilitation allowance for young persons.
A little over one in four (27%) received disability benefits.
One in six (16%) were paid reimbursements for private doctors’ fees. Examination and treatment costs were reimbursed to a little under 8% of the recipients and dental care costs to a little over 2%. Kela paid reimbursements for travel costs to nearly one in six (15.5%) recipients.
Psychoactive medicines were the largest category of reimbursable medication purchases. Nearly a half (45%) of the recipients had purchased such medicines. One in five (21%) had purchased medicines for ADHD.
Sickness allowance was paid to a little under 6% of the recipients.
Kela paid disability pensions to a little over 2% and unemployment benefits to a little more than 6% of the recipients.
Basic social assistance was paid to a little over a fifth (22%) of the recipients, while one in eight (12%) received financial aid for students. General housing allowance was paid to a third (33%) of the recipients.
Benefits for families with children and conscript’s allowances were paid to less than one percent of the recipients each.
Table 1. Recipients of rehabilitation allowance for young persons (N = 13,966) and other Kela benefits in 2021
| Other Kela benefits paid to recipients of rehabilitation allowance for young persons, 2021 | % (number of persons) |
| Vocational rehabilitation | 58.4 (8,163) |
| Psychoactive medicines | 45.0 (6,288) |
| General housing allowance (own or spouse’s) | 33.1 (4,623) |
| Disability benefits | 27.1 (3,779) |
| Basic social assistance | 22.2 (3,097) |
| Medicines for ADHD | 20.6 (2,872) |
| Doctors’ fees | 16.3 (2,276) |
| Travel costs | 15.5 (2,165) |
| Financial aid for students | 12.9 (1,803) |
| Intensive medical rehabilitation | 10.8 (1,502) |
| Rehabilitative psychotherapy | 8.1 (1,135) |
| Examination and treatment | 7.8 (1,090) |
| Unemployment benefits paid by Kela | 6.1 (850) |
| Any sickness allowance | 6.0 (843) |
| Labour market subsidy | 5.9 (828) |
| Sickness allowance | 5.8 (813) |
| Rehabilitation services provided on a discretionary basis | 3.5 (486) |
| Rehabilitation allowance, Vocational rehabilitation for young persons (Section 7 a) | 2.9 (400) |
| Dental care | 2.2 (305) |
| Kela disability pension | 2.0 (273) |
| Rehabilitation allowance under the Act on Kela Rehabilitation | 1.6 (222) |
| Child benefit | 0.6 (80) |
| Parental allowance | 0.5 (74) |
| Conscript’s allowance | 0.4 (51) |
| Basic unemployment allowance | 0.2 (27) |
| Rehabilitation allowance, No information on legal basis of eligibility | 0.2 (23) |
| Child home care allowance | 0.1 (14) |
| Rehabilitation allowance, Act on Treatment for Substance Abuse | 0.1 (7) |
| Rehabilitation allowance, Occupational Health Care Act | 0.0 (2) |
| Rehabilitation allowance, Health Care Act | 0.0 (1) |
During 2021, a little less than one in four (24%) of the recipients of rehabilitation allowance for young persons (3,359 persons) were entitled to reimbursement at the special rate for at least one prescription medicine. Such special reimbursements are available in the context of certain severe long-term illnesses.
The most common diagnostic categories among persons entitled to special reimbursement were:
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases
- diseases of the nervous system
- diseases of the musculoskeletal system
- tumours
- diseases of the digestive system
- mental and behavioural disorders
Among recipients of rehabilitation allowance for young persons, the most common diagnoses entitling them to special reimbursement were
- ADHD
- diabetes
- epilepsy
- chronic pulmonary asthma
- Non-organic psychosis, not otherwise specified
- juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
Table 2/Chart? Special reimbursement entitlements for medicines in effect as of 2021: Analysis by main diagnostic category among recipients of rehabilitation allowance for young persons, %
| Main diagnostic categories (ICD-10) among persons entitled to special reimbursement for medicine costs, | % |
| Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases | 24.9 |
| Diseases of the nervous system | 10.2 |
| Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue | 9.8 |
| Tumours | 7.9 |
| Diseases of the digestive system | 7.9 |
| Mental and behavioural disorders | 7.2 |
| Diseases of the circulatory system | 6.0 |
| Diseases of the genitourinary system | 4.9 |
| Congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities | 4.5 |
| Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue | 4.2 |
| Diseases of the respiratory system | 2.3 |
| Diseases of the eye and adnexa | 1.9 |
| Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified | 1.1 |
| Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period | 0.8 |
| Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes | 0.8 |
| Factors influencing health status and contact with health services | 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 that the vocational rehabilitation process is launched and carried through, to improve the clients’ employability 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 allowance has been governed by the Act on the Rehabilitation Benefits and Allowances Provided by Kela (hereinafter referred to as Kela Rehabilitation Act).
The minimum goal of the rehabilitation allowance for young persons is to allow them, with the help of vocational rehabilitation, to supplement the disability pension they may receive with additional income for their livelihood. 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 for example due to the nature of the illness, 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 make a transition to the working world.
Rehabilitation allowance for young persons is available to persons who
- are between 16 and 19 years of age,
- have an illness, injury or impairment that is detrimental to their ability to work or study or to choose an occupation or job,
- need particular 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, aimed at sustaining the vocational rehabilitation process and promoting employment.
Rehabilitation allowance for young persons is available during education or other rehabilitation aimed at ensuring the client's transition to employment and is paid until the end of the month in which the client reaches the age of 20 years or until the client has completed the degree or qualifications specified in the study and rehabilitation plan. In 2023, the rehabilitation allowance for young persons is at least 36.91 euros per day, or 922 euros per month on average. It is subject to tax.
Changes in legislations affecting the rehabilitation allowance for young persons
- Act on Rehabilitation Allowances (611/1991, repealed): On 1 August 1999, rehabilitation allowance for young persons became payable to 16 and 17 year-olds as a way to prevent their retirement on a disability pension
- Amendment effective 1 April 2002: The age limit was raised to 20 years.
- Act onRehabilitation Benefits and Allowances Payable by Kela (566/2005, hereinafter referred to as Kela Rehabilitation Act)
- Amendment effective 1 January 2014: changes in the vocational rehabilitation laws impacted the rehabilitation allowance for young persons, removing impending unemployment and introducing deterioration of ability to study and evaluation of the client's overall circumstances as award criteria; the concept of ‘person with functional impairment’ was removed from the Kela Rehabilitation Act
- Amendment effective 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 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
Studies on topics relevant to the rehabilitation allowance for young persons
Koskenvuo K, Rinne H, Blomgren J. Nuoren kuntoutusrahaa saavat ovat usein myös muiden etuuksien ja sosiaali- ja terveyspalveluiden saajia. Kartoittava rekisteritutkimus Oulun väestössä vuonna 2018. (Recipients of rehabilitation allowance for young persons often also receive other benefits and social and health services. A register-based survey of residents of the City of Oulu in 2018, in Finnish). In: Kuntoutus 2022; 45 (2): 24-32. doi.org/10.37451/kuntoutus.120023
Koskenvuo K, Rinne H, Blomgren J. Nuoren kuntoutusraha kohdistuu oikein: nuoriin, jotka tarvitsevat muita enemmän tukea, palveluita ja etuuksia. (The rehabilitation allowance for young persons is appropriately targeted at young persons with an elevated need of assistance, services and benefits, in Finnish). In: Kela research blog, 18 August 2022.
Koskenvuo K, Pösö R. Työkyvyttömyyseläkettä saaneiden nuorten määrä kääntyi vuonna 2021 laskuun ensimmäistä kertaa kahteenkymmeneen vuoteen 8.6.2022 (The number of young persons receiving disability pension decreased in 2021 for the first time in 20 years, in Finnish).
Salminen J, Häikiö L. ”Suurin stressin aihe on mun talous” – nuoren kuntoutusraha tukee nuoren toipumista ja vahvistaa toimijuuden kokemusta. (“Money is my main source of stress” – The rehabilitation allowance for young persons supports recovery and bolsters agency, in Finnish). In: Kela research blog, 13 April 2022
Salminen, J. Nuoren kuntoutusrahan luoma osallisuus toimintamahdollisuuksina. (Rehabilitation allowance for young persons: enabling inclusion, in Finnish). In:
Yhteiskuntapolitiikka 2019;84:4
Haavisto A, Koskenvuo K, Laihanen J, Hevosmaa M, Leväniemi J, Myllylä L. Nuoren kuntoutusrahalta siirrytään aiempaa harvemmin työkyvyttömyyseläkkeelle.(Transition from rehabilitation allowance for young persons to disability pension is now less common than previously, in Finnish). In: Kela research blog, 30 August 2021
Partio T. Nuoren kuntoutusrahan saajien määrä kaksinkertaistunut 2010-luvulla. (Rehabilitation allowance for young persons: The number of recipients doubled in the 2010s, in Finnish). In: Kela statistical survey 3/2019
Kokkonen V, Koskenvuo K. Nuoren kuntoutusrahaa saa yhä useampi. (The number of recipients of rehabilitation allowance for young persons is rising, in Finnish). In: Sosiaalivakuutus 1/2015, 29.
Koskenvuo K, Ryynänen M, Kemppinen H, Kokkonen V, Autti-Rämö I. Vajaakuntoiselle nuorelle tarvitaan selkeämpi reitti ammattitutkintoon. (Young persons with impaired functioning need a clearer pathway to achieve vocational qualification, in Finnish). In: Sosiaalivakuutus 2014;1:35-36.
Koskenvuo K, Autti-Rämö I. Alle 25-vuotiaiden nuorten työkyvyttömyys- ja kuntoutusetuuksien käytön kehitys. (Trends in the take-up of disability and rehabilitation benefits among young persons under age 25 in Finnish). Nettityöpapereita 50/2013. Helsinki: Kela Research Department, 2013.
Koskenvuo K, Hytti H, Autti-Rämö I. Seurantatutkimus nuorten kuntoutusrahasta ja työkyvyttömyyseläkkeelle siirtymisestä. (A follow-up study on the rehabilitation allowance for young persons and the transition to disability pension, in Finnish). In: Kuntoutus 2011;3: 22-30.
Koskenvuo K, Hytti H, Autti-Rämö I. Alle 25-vuotiaiden nuorten työkyvyttömyys- ja kuntoutusetuuksien käyttö ajalla 1995-2008.(Take-up of disability and rehabilitation benefits among young persons under age 25, 1995-2008, in Finnish). In: Kuntoutus 2010;2: 34-43.
Contact information
- Karoliina Koskenvuo, Head of Research
- Tuomas Sarparanta, Statistics Specialist
- Minna Toivakka, Data Scientist
- Matti Rantanen, Data Scientist
- Marjut Hevosmaa, Lead Coordinator
- Hanna Tervahauta, Legal Counsel
- email: firstname.lastname@kela.fi
