New electronic medical statement coming in autumn 2026: what does this mean for you?

A new kind of medical statement called a BC statement will be introduced in autumn 2026. What should you know about the new medical statement? How will its introduction affect you?

The medical statement BC is a new kind of medical statement that combines two existing medical statements, B and C, together. You need a medical statement when you apply for certain Kela benefits, such as sickness allowance, rehabilitation, disability allowance, care allowance for pensioners or reimbursements for medicine costs.

What will change?

The new BC statement is an electronic statement. If the patient information system your doctor uses supports the new medical statement, your doctor can write one for you directly in the system. The medical statement will then be added to your patient record in Kanta, and you can view it in MyKanta.

Your doctor can also forward the BC statement directly to Kela with your consent. In that case, you do not have to submit a copy of your medical statement with your application, and you can also view the medical statement in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish).

The new BC statement will make it easier for customers to apply for disability allowance or care allowance for pensioners. Until now, an application for these benefits has required a medical statement C written on a form that is only available as a PDF file and on paper. After the new BC statement is introduced, you do not have to submit a copy of your medical statement yourself when applying for disability allowance or care allowance if your doctor forwards it electronically to Kela.

The format and functions of the new medical statement make it faster and easier for doctors to use. The new BC statement also allows doctors to use various practical applications, such as speech recognition. The goal is to free up more of doctors’ time for appointments with patients by introducing a more streamlined process for issuing medical statements.

Download broschure about the BC statement, pdf

What will not change?

You will still have to ask a doctor for a medical statement when you apply for sickness benefits from Kela.

The purpose of a BC statement is to provide information on the medical condition or disability you have and how it affects your ability to function, work or study. That is why it is important that your doctor gives specific examples of how your medical condition or disability affects your daily life and overall situation.

The BC statement must be recent, because treatment or rehabilitation can help alleviate the impact of a medical condition or disability. For example, you may regain your ability to work or study or your ability to function in your daily life may weaken.

Issuing medical statements will continue to be an important part of a doctor’s work, and the ability to get a medical statement will still be important for your legal rights. When a doctor writes a medical statement for you with due care based on what you have told them and their clinical examination of you, Kela gets all the information it needs to make a decision on your benefit application.

Frequently asked questions