Coronavirus: all important information for corporate customers

Daily sickness benefits are paid when someone falls ill with the coronavirus or is treated as a suspected case because of an attack of the flu and has been confirmed by a doctor to be incapacitated for work. Daily sickness benefits are paid in accordance with the applicable insurance coverage and medical certificates. 

If there is no event entitling a person to benefits, daily sickness benefits are not paid. This is the case if:

1. Employees are under quarantine as a preventive measure. This applies regardless whether the quarantine is ordered by the employer or the authorities.
2. Employees are prevented from working because their place of employment is temporarily closed by order of the authorities (such as schools or shopping centres).
3. Employees are prevented from working owing to official restrictions on mobility (such as the cancellation of train or flight traffic, ban on leaving or entering the country).
4. The authorities announce a state of emergency.
5. Employees are no longer allowed to work as they are classified as individuals at risk.

The unemployment insurance (ALV) pays short-time work allowances for working hours that are lost for economic reasons. This only applies for employees. The loss of working hours has to be at least 10% and has to be confirmed in writing by the employee.

1. What changes for employees who were already incapacitated for work before short-time work started? 
   Nothing changes in such cases. They are not entitled to register for a short-time work allowance. Daily benefits are paid on the basis of incapacity for work as confirmed by a doctor.
2. What happens if an employee falls ill (incapacity for work confirmed by a doctor) while drawing a short-time work allowance from the ALV? 
   As the employee cannot work if incapacity for work has been confirmed by a doctor, the claim to a short-time work allowance lapses. The employer is obliged to continue paying the salary and can register the incapacity for work with the daily sickness benefits insurance after expiry of the waiting period. The full AHV gross salary remains the basis for calculation of the daily sickness benefits.

Coronavirus infections contracted because of direct contact with the virus while working for a hospital or laboratory can be notified as an occupational illness. Such cases will be forwarded to Suva’s Occupational Medicine department for an assessment of the duty to provide benefits.

If a coronavirus infection qualifies as an occupational illness, Helsana will pay the statutory benefits under accident insurance. As such, it will pay the medical expenses and provide daily sickness benefits for virus-related incapacity for work as confirmed by a doctor.

If employees in these occupational groups are exposed to an increased risk when supporting or caring for infected individuals, coronavirus infections can be reported as an occupational illness. The circumstances in the individual case are decisive and these are examined accordingly.

No. In such cases, an occupational illness cannot be recognised for individuals whose work is not based on the provision of support to infected persons.

In this case, we require a regular case report via SUNETPlus or SUNETOnline.

The salary subject to AHV contributions serves as the basis for the payroll declaration. If compensation for loss of income for short-time working or the coronavirus has been received, the salary that would have been received without short-time working must be reported. This means that the full amount of the agreed salary must be reported.