The financial compensation starts at the end of the period of continued remuneration by the employer, i.e. at the end of the calendar month in which the 77th day of incapacity for work occurs during a reference period of 18 successive calendar months.

Financial compensation is awarded by CNS, on approval by the Social Security Medical Board (CMSS). The financial compensation is not paid by the CNS if the employee does not provide all the information, documents and evidence requested by CNS or the CMSS. This includes a detailed R4 medical report, which is requested by the CMSS on a case-by-case basis. A detailed medical report is understood to mean the report in the context of prolonged incapacity for work provided for in the Nomenclature for medical procedures and services (R4) or any other detailed medical report sent to the CMSS and approved as such by that organisation. In addition, employees may be summoned by the Social Security Medical Board.

For employees, financial compensation is composed of basic compensation and supplements and accessories where applicable, in the same way as standard compensation.

These two elements are calculated separately by contribution basis for financial compensation for current affiliation with the system at the time of the occurrence of the incapacity for work.

If several different occupations are exercised simultaneously, an allowance is calculated separately for each of them.

The following are therefore accounted for separately:

• the highest basic pay received by an employee in any of the three calendar months preceding the start of the payment of cash benefits by the CNS. Basic pay includes those elements of pay which are payable monthly in cash and which are not considered as either extra payments or accessories;
• the average of extra payments and accessories to compensation, which are part of the bases of the twelve calendar months preceding the month prior to the occurrence of the incapacity for work, as being items payable monthly in cash, the amount of which is likely to vary from one month to the next (such as a productivity bonus), with the exception of the increases provided for by contractual, legal or regulatory provisions.

If this reference period is not fully covered by a work activity under the insurance scheme, the average is calculated on the basis of the calendar months fully covered.

If no single month is fully covered, the basic pay as well as extra payments and accessories are taken into account according to their value agreed in the employment contract.

The CNS does not cover:

• bonuses and profit-sharing which are, for the most part, paid annually as well as all other benefits which are not paid monthly, like a 13th or 14th month or occasional benefits
• overtime
• remuneration in kind (company housing, company car, meal vouchers, etc.), which, in principle, employees continue to receive during sick leave

Entitlement to cash benefit is limited to a total of 78 weeks in a reference period of 104 weeks. The employee can request a statement of his or her sickness days from the CNS.

Note: periods of leave from work, maternity leave and accompanying leave are not taken into account for this calculation. Leave for family reasons is calculated separately for each child. At the beginning of each period of incapacity for work, a check is carried out to determine whether the 78-week limit has been reached for each day of incapacity. For this purpose, a totalling of the periods of personal incapacity for work is carried out, which give entitlement to financial compensation under the sickness or accident insurance scheme. The cash benefit is no longer payable from the day on which the total duration of the periods of incapacity exceeds 78 weeks.