If, as a salaried employee, you are unable to work, your employer will continue to pay your salary during the first month of incapacity to work. This is referred to as the "guaranteed pay" period.

After that month of guaranteed pay, you will no longer receive a salary from your employer. You will then start relying on a social security benefit paid via:

• your health insurance fund (in case of illness or a private accident in private life); or
• your insurance company providing the industrial accident cover (in the event of an occupational accident at work).

If you go on maternity leave, you will immediately receive a benefit from the health insurance fund.

Your health insurance fund will pay the benefit in case of illness, a private accident in private life or maternity leave

The statutory social security provisions therefore entitle you to this type of benefit, which is also referred to as a replacement income. Your health insurance fund will make the payments.

You will therefore rely on a lower replacement income, while your current fixed expenses, such as your rent or mortgage, car payments and living expenses, remain the same.

If your group insurance includes disability cover, you will also receive an additional allowance from Vivium on top of the statutory benefits received from your health insurance fund.

You can find Vivium's monthly gross supplement to your replacement income on your benefit statement or on the "Contracts" screen on mygroupinsurance.vivium.be and on your benefit statement.

Vivium's additional supplement will start from the second month of incapacity to work at the earliest, regardless of the cause. This 30-day personal risk period will be in line with the period of guaranteed pay.
In some contracts, a longer personal risk period has been agreed with your employer: 60, 90, 180 or even 365 days. The personal risk period is also shown on your benefit statement.

Contribution by insurance company providing the industrial accident cover (occupational accident at work)

If you have had an accident at work or on the way to or from work, the insurance company providing the industrial accident cover of your employer will start contributing after the month of guaranteed pay. You will then rely on this benefit.

Here too, your employer may have opted for an extra benefit from Vivium. If this is the case, you can find the insured annuity on your benefit statement or on the "Contracts" screen on mygroupsinsurance.vivium.be and on your benefit statement.

A personal risk period always applies to cover of incapacity to work and premium waivers. The personal risk period starts on the day a doctor assesses the incapacity to work. The duration of the personal risk period is shown on your benefit statement.

Vivium will contribute when the personal risk period is over.

As an employee, you are entitled to guaranteed pay in the first month, so Vivium's contribution will start in the second month at the earliest. That is why many group insurance policies have a 30-day personal risk period. In some contracts, a longer personal risk period has been agreed with the employer: 60, 90, 180 or even 365 days.

As a salaried employee, you continue to receive your salary from your employer for one month if you are unable to work due to an accident or illness. This is called the guaranteed pay period.

From the second month, you will rely on the statutory social security provisions. In that case, you will be entitled to a "replacement income" benefit. Your health insurance fund will make the payments.

The statutory benefit will be based on the cause of your incapacity to work:

In the event of illness, a private accident in private life or maternity leave, your health insurance fund will make the payments. More information about the statutory benefit is available on the website of the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance. We have also provided the link to the situation for salaried employees.

In the event of an occupational accident at work, you will receive a benefit from the insurance company providing the industrial accident cover of your employer. You can see the amount of the statutory benefit available on the social security website by following this link.

A replacement income is taxed less than income from employment.

The advance tax payment that is deducted from a replacement income is less than the usual advance tax payment on your salary.

You will have to declare this replacement income separately on your personal income tax return. The final tax will then be calculated.

Because the advance tax payment on benefits is rather low, there is a chance that you will owe more tax at the subsequent tax settlement.

During the first month of your incapacity to work due to illness or an accident, your employer will continue to pay your salary. During this period, your employer will also continue to pay your group insurance premium.

After 30 days of incapacity to work, your employer will stop paying your salary and your group insurance premium. If you are paying a personal group insurance contribution, this will also stop.

If you have premium waiver cover, Vivium will take over the group insurance premium payments in the event of incapacity to work to ensure that your cover is retained.

If you are unable to work for a longer period of time due to illness or an accident or during maternity leave, Vivium will take over your group insurance premium payments. This applies to the employer premiums and to any personal contributions you are making yourself. This ensures that your supplementary pension accrual continues and you stay insured in the event of death.

You are entitled to guaranteed monthly pay as standard, so Vivium's contributions will start from the second month at the earliest. That is why many group insurance policies have a 30-day personal risk period. In some contracts, a longer personal risk period of 60, 90, 180 or even 365 days has been agreed with the employer.

The personal risk period is also shown on your benefit statement.

Vivium must be informed of the incapacity for work no later than 45 days after the start of the incapacity for work.

Step 1: Complete the document "Report of illness / accident / pregnancy / childbirth":

• your employer will provide you with the form, or
• you can download it yourself here.

This document consists of two parts:

• You complete the report yourself.
• Your attending physician needs to complete the medical certificate.
  This is not necessary if your incapacity to work is caused by pregnancy or childbirth and does not exceed the statutory maternity leave period.

Step 2: Send the document

Send the document by email to protection@vivium.be (preferred option)

or

by post to:

Vivium
Attn. the Medical Adviser (HP 0190)
Desguinlei 92
2018 Antwerp