What do disability codes mean on a sick leave certificate?

Disability codes on a sick leave certificate are two-digit numbers that encrypt the reasons why an officially employed employee went on paid sick leave. The sick leave certificate itself (hereinafter referred to as SL) is a very important document: it confirms the status of the sick employee, and on its basis the accounting department calculates the amount of insurance premiums due to the sick person. Code 09 in a medical document implies “family ties”, that is, an employee of the organization went on sick leave as a result of providing care for a minor child or another family member who needs it. This article describes the nuances of deciphering BL codes, in particular code 09, and how the employer should compensate sick leave in 2021.

Classification of sick leave codes and their decoding

The structure of a sick leave certificate (certificate of incapacity for work, approved by order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation dated April 26, 2011 No. 347n) provides for the use of such types of codes as:
1. Codes of the cause of incapacity for work.

There are 15 codes in total for the cause of disability on the sick leave (their decoding is also given in Order No. 347n).

These 2-digit codes are entered in the “Code” cell directly opposite the line “Cause of disability.”

If the original disability code on the sick leave certificate needs to be changed, the new one must be entered in the “Change code” cell, which is located next to it.

2. Additional codes.

They are recorded next to the disability code in certain cases. Namely if:

• the person is undergoing treatment in a sanatorium (in this case, an additional code 017 is entered on the sick leave);
• the employee is undergoing treatment in a sanatorium due to an incident at work (code 018);
• the person is being treated in a clinic belonging to a research organization (code 019);
• the employee is granted additional maternity leave (code 020);
• the employee fell ill due to intoxication or actions related to it (code 021).

3. Codes reflecting family relationships.

They are indicated above the line “Family relationship” if the sick leave is issued for an employee who does not go to work due to caring for a sick family member. In this case, the code must correlate with the one that reflects the cause of disability. If this is code 38, indicating that the employee is a mother and is caring for a child, then code 09 is entered in the line “Cause of disability.”

4. Code reflecting the employee’s violation of the treatment regimen.

Fixed opposite the line “Note about violation of the regime”, if a corresponding violation has taken place. For example, code 24 indicates that a sick employee did not show up for an appointment with a doctor at the appointed time.

5. Other codes.

Indicated opposite the line “Other”. May reflect other significant information about the employee’s health status. For example, if this is code 31, it will mean that the employee has not recovered and is going on new sick leave.

6. Code reflecting the conditions for calculating compensation for sick leave.

Fixed in the line “Accrual conditions”. For example, if a person has already left the company, but fell ill within 30 days after dismissal, code 47 is entered. If necessary, several codes can be indicated in the corresponding line.

Among other significant elements of the document on which compensation for temporary disability is calculated is the subordination code on the sick leave. It, unlike the codes discussed above, is not unified and is set depending on the region of registration of the company in the Social Insurance Fund. You can find out this code from the notice of registration of the employer with this department or by contacting them.

When and for how long is sick leave extended?

There is no specific minimum period of sick leave established by law. In fact, the doctor has the right to prescribe him for one day, but in practice this rarely happens. Typically, the doctor will prescribe an initial bulletin for a period of 3 to 15 days, unless the illness is severe. Paramedics and dentists can issue it for up to 10 days.

The doctor alone decides whether to issue a bulletin or not, whether to extend it or close it, based on the patient’s health status, disease, and the presence of complications.

So, for example, a standard newsletter is issued: (click to expand)

• for ARVI: for 5-15 days;
• for chickenpox: from 10 to 21 days;
• in case of tooth extraction (with general anesthesia) - from 3 to 10 days, etc.

The required period is determined by the attending physician, guided by current legislation. If, at the end of the 15-day period of illness, the patient who was treated on an outpatient basis has not recovered, then the hospital certificate is further extended with the participation of a medical commission.

From the above data it follows that the maximum period for extending a sick leave certificate can be 12 months. The extension is issued until the patient has fully recovered or before he is sent to MSEC to determine his disability. If the patient refuses to undergo MSEC, the sick leave may be closed and he will have to go to work.

As the FSS points out, an electronic bulletin is equivalent to a regular sick leave on paper. Accordingly, it is also subject to general extension.

Website of the FSS of the Russian Federation.

Causes of illness and legal consequences for the employer (codes 01, 02, 04)

What is the impact of recording certain codes on the certificate of incapacity in practice? What does sick leave code 01 or 02 mean?

Let's study these issues in the context of the possible legal consequences of indicating certain codes on the certificate of incapacity for work for the employer.

First of all, what specific cause of the employee’s illness is reflected in the sick leave (code “Cause of disability”) may be important:

• One of the most common disease codes on sick leave is 01. It reflects the fact that the employee has contracted a common illness, such as ARVI. If this code is indicated on the sick leave, the employer calculates sick leave compensation in the usual manner established in paragraph 1 of Art. 14 of Law No. 255-FZ.
• In turn, what does sick leave code 02 mean? The fact that the employee suffered an injury not related to work. The presence of sick leave code 02 implies that the employer has the same obligation to calculate the amount of compensation according to the general rules (in particular, taking into account the employee’s length of service).
• The fact of injury at work is reflected on the sick leave using code 04. In this case, the enterprise must pay the employee compensation for sick leave in the amount of 100% of his average earnings (Clause 1, Article 9 of the Law “On Compulsory Social Insurance...” dated July 24, 1998 No. 125-FZ). This is a fundamental difference between the employer’s responsibilities compared to when the cause of incapacity 01 is indicated on the sick leave and the amount of compensation depends on the length of service.

Among the other responsibilities of the employer in the event of an employee’s work-related injury is an investigation of the incident in accordance with the requirements of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, as well as the rules adopted in local documents. Actually, the presence of code 04 on an employee’s sick leave should not be a surprise to the employer, since it is unlikely that he will not be aware of what happened (and will not take the measures prescribed by the provisions of Articles 228–231 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation even before the employee returns from sick leave).

But if the company really, for some reason, did not know that the employee was injured as a result of an incident at work, this relieves the employer of responsibility for its investigation, unless the employee applies for an investigation (Article 229.1 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation).

You will learn more about the rules for calculating sick leave compensation in certain cases from the selection of materials in this section.

Codes of dangerous diseases

Every state cares about the health of the planet's population. In order to summarize information about the causes of diseases in the population, WHO developed the ICD - the international classification of diseases.

Today, the ICD is a document recognized by all countries of the world; in Russia it was adopted for use at the end of the last century. Today, the 10th version (revision) of the ICD is in use.

Information about diseases and their causes is updated once every 10 years, and its next revision is scheduled for 2021 . When registering sick leave, not the entire multi-volume ICD database is used, but only those inclusions that contain important information about dangerous diseases.

At the same time, the codes themselves are not written on the sick leave, but code 11 in the line with the cause of the illness should alert you.

Dangerous diseases with code designations are divided into 2 types:

1. socially significant diseases;
2. dangerous to others.

The list of codes is presented in tables.

Socially significant

Is it important for a patient to be able to understand sick leave codes?

ImportantIt doesn’t matter, let the doctor deal with itI don’t know what to say

Dangerous

Code 11 on sick leave: employer's responsibilities

Other responsibilities may arise for the employer if the disease code on the sick leave certificate is 11. It reflects the fact that the employee suffered the disease specified in clause 1 of the list of socially significant ones, approved. by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated December 1, 2003 No. 715, - tuberculosis.

In this case, the duration of treatment can be up to 12 months (Clause 4, Article 59 of the Law “On the Fundamentals of Health Protection...” dated November 21, 2011 No. 323-FZ), and the employer must be prepared to compensate for it. The maximum duration of treatment in the general case is 10 months (clause 13 of the procedure approved by order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation dated June 29, 2011 No. 624n).

In addition, if an employee, along with a sick leave certificate, brings a medical order according to which he will need to be transferred to another position for health reasons, the employer will be obliged to provide such a position or remove the employee from work and pay him temporary disability benefits (Article 73 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation , paragraph 3 of article 14 of the law “On preventing the spread of tuberculosis” dated June 18, 2001 No. 77-FZ).

What do violation codes mean (23, 24)

Knowing what code 01 means on a sick leave certificate is not enough. It is also necessary to check whether the medical institution has identified other circumstances characterizing the employee’s state of health. Which for example?

Thus, the commonly used sick leave code 01 can be supplemented with a code that gives the employer a basis for reducing the amount of compensation for sick leave. These may be codes that reflect (Clause 1, Article 8 of the Law “On Compulsory Social Insurance...” dated December 29, 2006 No. 255-FZ):

• non-compliance with the prescribed treatment regimen (code 23 in the line “Note about violation of the regimen”);
• failure to appear for a medical examination on time (code 24 in the line “Note about violation of the regime”);
• illness due to intoxication (code 021 in the “Additional code” line).

Sick leave compensation in this case is reduced to the level of the minimum monthly wage:

• from the moment of violation under codes 23 and 24;
• for the entire period of illness using code 021.

Read more about paying sick leave for alcohol intoxication here.

Thus, deciphering the disease code on the sick leave sheet 01, 02, 04 must necessarily be done taking into account the possible presence of the 3 considered codes in the document. Their presence directly affects the size of the company’s obligations for sick leave compensation.

Answers to frequently asked questions

Question No. 1: During an illness, an employee was issued one sick leave, initially for 7 days. Then it was extended for another 10 days. How many sick days will he be paid? (click to expand)

The basis for social benefits is sick leave. According to the data recorded by the doctor, the employee was ill for 7 days plus another 10 days - a total of 17 days. Accordingly, payment is due within 17 days.

Question No. 2: Can the amount of social benefits be reduced when extending the ballot?

According to the general procedure, if there are appropriate grounds, the amount of social benefits can be reduced both when extending sick leave and without it. These grounds (if any) are indicated by the doctor in the bulletin.

The most common reason is the patient’s violation of the treatment regimen and doctor’s instructions. More details about the reasons for reducing the amount of social benefits are stated in Art. 8 Federal Law of the Russian Federation No. 255.

Line “Other” (using code 31 as an example)

In some cases, along with disease codes, information on the line “Other” is recorded on sick leave. For example, code 31, reflecting the fact that the employee did not have time to recover and cannot go to work (the consequence may be the opening of another certificate of incapacity for work).

The fact that the employer received this sheet with code 31 obliges him to pay compensation for it, calculated in the prescribed manner, despite the fact that the employee has not yet returned to work. A sick leave with code 31 is considered closed one way or another. The total number of sheets does not matter: the employer is obliged to pay for each one brought by the employee.

These are the features of deciphering sick leave in cases where the employee himself falls ill. But situations are possible in which it is not he who is sick, but his relative. In this case, a special code is entered on the certificate of incapacity - 09. Let us study what legal consequences its presence on sick leave can create for the employer.

Example 1. Opening a sick notice in another city with subsequent extension

While visiting relatives in one of the cities of the Moscow region, Muscovite L. U. Dobrovich felt unwell and consulted a doctor at a local clinic. After an examination, the medical institution gave him sick leave for 3 days and prescribed outpatient treatment.

Returning home to Moscow, L. U. Dobrovich came to see a doctor at his clinic (at his place of residence). After a medical examination, the patient was declared incapacitated. He was given a new sick leave for a period of 5 days, which is, in fact, a continuation of the first one. The bulletin was closed after 5 days, because the examination showed that the patient had recovered.

L. U. Dobrovich must be paid for all sick days, including those on the ballot opened in the Moscow region.

What does code 09 mean on sick leave: legal consequences for the employer

If an employee’s sick leave is coded 09, this means that he was absent from work due to caring for a child who was sick. Indication of this code in the document implies payment of sick leave in an amount determined in the general manner, as if code 01 or 02 were on the sick leave. As for the number of paid days an employee is on sick leave, it is established taking into account certain provisions of the law.

The duration of paid sick leave for an employee who was absent from work to care for a child is (Article 6 of Law No. 255-FZ):

1. If the child is under 7 years old:

• 90 days a year if the child’s illness is reflected in the list approved by order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation dated February 20, 2008 No. 84n;
• 60 days in other cases.

2. If the child is from 7 to 15 years old - up to 45 days a year for all cases of illness (no more than 15 days for each individual case).

3. If the child is under 18 years old:

• up to 120 days if the parent is caring for a child with disabilities;
• without restrictions, if a parent is caring for a child with HIV;
• without restrictions, if a parent is caring for a child who has suffered from vaccination complications or is undergoing treatment for malignant neoplasms.

These rules are the same for employees, regardless of whether their child is a son or daughter, grandson or granddaughter.

IMPORTANT! The specified time restrictions relate specifically to the payment of sick leave, and not to the duration of stay. Read more here.

Application of a new sick leave (by order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia No. 347n): nuances

It will be useful to consider a number of other nuances that characterize the use of sick leave certificates of the new type by employers (of course, relatively new - they were approved in 2011, but nevertheless they have specifics that should be paid attention to).

First of all, there are a number of formal requirements for filling out a certificate of incapacity for work. So:

• it must be filled with ink, gel, capillary or fountain pen, but not ballpoint;
• characters are not allowed to go beyond the boundaries of document cells;
• characters must be recorded in the document starting from the very first cell.

The sick leave must be certified with a seal that does not appear on certain cells of the document. The fact that, for example, code 02 and not any other is indicated on the sick leave certificate should be obvious to the inspector. In this case, the check can be carried out using a scanner, which will not be able to recognize the code if the seal is layered on the sick leave information field.

The seal of the medical institution must be clear - so that its name is readable (which must coincide with that indicated in the document).

If there are errors in the sick leave certificate or it is filled out incorrectly, the employer must ask the employee to bring a duplicate of the document, filled out taking into account all the requirements (their full list is given in the order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia dated June 29, 2011 No. 624n).

Results

A sick leave certificate is a document on the basis of which the employer determines, firstly, the amount of compensation for the employee’s temporary disability, and secondly, the duration of paid sick leave. To do this, the various codes recorded on the certificate of incapacity for work are deciphered. When applying sick leave, the employer needs to take into account their correlation.

You will learn more about the peculiarities of using sick leave by employers from the articles:

• “Is sick leave (sick leave) subject to personal income tax?”;
• “Payment for sick leave to care for a sick relative”.

You can find more complete information on the topic in ConsultantPlus. Free trial access to the system for 2 days.