For ten years, Lea Ojaperv, who currently works as a cook in Värska, was officially designated as having partial work ability. Now, the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund (EUIF) has determined that her health has improved, and that she is fully able to work.

"In 2023, I went to the doctor — I guess I was just having that good of a day, and got lucky," Ojaperv recalled. "Then I was notified that I'm fully able to work. The treatment is working because of the medications I take by mouth and injection to be okay. My medication needs have increased, but it turned out that's actually fine."

According to the EUIF, 103,000 people were receiving work ability benefits in 2021. By last year, that number had dropped to 99,000.

"The fact that someone's ability to work is dynamic — that's natural," said Sirlis Sõmer-Kull, a board member at the EUIF. She noted that people can adapt, and medication helps as well.

"For example, a few years ago, even a decade ago, anyone with stage 4 cancer was automatically considered fully unable to work," she said. "But now we're also seeing positive cases. In five or six years, their condition may stabilize, and [the patient] may be able to manage."

Since Ojaperv still has tougher days at work due to her health — when she needs to take breaks, or ask a coworker to cover for her — she plans to reapply for partial work ability status.

"Fall is coming, and I'll be applying again, because I have to visit an endocrinologist once every three months and an ophthalmologist twice a year," she noted. "Plus other doctors on top of that, since I have breathing problems and many illnesses. But I'm alright."

The EUIF admits there have been cases where an initial decision has to be reviewed. It's important for applicants to describe in their applications what situations they encounter at work and how often they have harder days.

According to Sõmer-Kull, about 4-5 percent of all applications end up being appealed, and in roughly a quarter or a third of those cases, additional new information is submitted, which is reviewed by the EUIF.

"But that's to be expected given this large volume," she said. "The main reason we end up reviewing appeals and revise decisions is that we simply didn't have certain information — some medical data may have been missing, or doctors may not have entered it into the health information system."

Family doctors have also encountered patients who have previously been declared unable to work for a shorter or longer period of time, and have now been assessed as able to work.

Suitable jobs hard to come by

According to family doctor Ruth Kalda, getting people back into the workforce is a good thing, but a suitable job isn't always easy to find.

"For example, someone with bone or joint disease or cardiovascular disease may not be able to work full-time, but they might do well with a reduced schedule," Kalda explained.

"The question is whether an employer will accommodate this, whether such jobs are available, and it still comes down to the person's own willingness," she added.

The EUIF acknowledged that it may be harder for someone with partial work ability to find work in smaller and more rural towns or before retirement, but added that there is still hope.

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