Oma väylä rehabilitation
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Oma väylä rehabilitation is intended for persons aged 16–29 who have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder without accompanying intellectual impairment (Asperger syndrome) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD). The aim of the rehabilitation is to improve your study skills and working life skills as well as your daily life management and social skills.
The rehabilitation course is free of charge.
Who is the rehabilitation course for?
Oma väylä rehabilitation is intended for persons aged 16–29 who have been diagnosed with one or both of the following:
- an autism spectrum disorder without accompanying intellectual impairment (Asperger syndrome)
- ADHD or predominantly inattentive ADHD (ADD).
This rehabilitation is suited for teens and adults who
- need support primarily for their studies or work due to their neurodevelopmental disorder
- have difficulties navigating social situations or managing their daily lives.
You can participate in this rehabilitation even if you have been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. However, your mental health must be good enough to let you study or work, and you must be able to participate in individual and group sessions during the rehabilitation.
Oma väylä rehabilitation is not suited for persons with an acute substance abuse problem or who do not need support in their studies or working life.
You also cannot get Oma väylä rehabilitation if you have already been granted intensive medical rehabilitation.
Aim of rehabilitation
Oma väylä rehabilitation can
- help improve your ability to study and enhance your working life skills
- provide guidance and practice in how to manage your daily life
- help you improve your social skills.
How rehabilitation works
The rehabilitation lasts for 12 months and comprises
- 20 individual sessions
- 8 group sessions
- 2 group sessions for your family members or friends.
The sessions will be held on the service provider’s premises or in other locations that are familiar to you, such as your home, school or workplace. Some sessions can be held remotely.
The group sessions for your family members or friends will be held on the service provider’s premises, in other group spaces or remotely.
The service provider will contact you 1–3 months after the last session has been held to follow up on your rehabilitation.
The rehabilitation course is usually offered in Finnish and Swedish. However, there is currently no course available in Swedish because there are no registered Swedish-language service providers.
If you speak Swedish or one of the Sámi languages, Kela will provide an interpreter for you.
The aim of the individual and group sessions is to
- support your ability to study and engage in working life
- strengthen your self-esteem
- give you tools that help you recognise symptoms and behaviour caused by your neurodevelopmental disorder
- develop your social interaction skills
- offer you peer support.
During the group sessions, your family members and friends can get
- information on neurodevelopmental disorders and how they affect the lives of both the person participating in the rehabilitation and their family members and friends
- peer support and the opportunity to talk about the challenges they have faced in their daily lives and how to navigate them
- advice on how to help the person participating in the rehabilitation succeed in becoming more independent.
The experts involved in your rehabilitation
The rehabilitation programme will be planned and managed by a psychologist or neuropsychologist and 2 of the following experts:
- an occupational therapist
- a registered nurse
- a social worker, Bachelor of Social Sciences or rehabilitation instructor.
How to apply
You need a medical statement B (B-lausunto) or some other statement on your health issued by a doctor to apply for Oma väylä rehabilitation. The medical statement B or health statement must state what disorder you have that qualifies you for rehabilitation, what kind of rehabilitation is recommended for you and what its goals are. The medical statement B or health statement must be dated within the past year.
After you get your medical statement B or health statement, do as follows:
- Complete the application form for discretionary rehabilitation KU 132 (PDF, in Finnish).
- Save the blank form to your device. Do not fill in the form directly in the browser because some of the information may not be saved that way.
- Open the form with Adobe Reader and fill it in.
- Tell us in the application which service provider’s rehabilitation you want to participate in. Select a service provider in your area. We recommend that you select a service provider located within 80 kilometres of your home. Use Kela’s service provider search to look up rehabilitation service providers (available in Finnish and Swedish).
- Save the completed application form on your device. Note that the application must be in PDF format.
- Send the application in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish). Parents and guardians can apply for rehabilitation on behalf of their minor child under 18 in OmaKela.
- Log in to OmaKela and select Tee hakemus (File an application). If you want to apply for rehabilitation on behalf of someone else, go to Asioi toisen henkilön puolesta (Act on behalf of another person). Read more about acting on behalf of another person.
- First select Sairastaminen ja kuntoutus (Sickness and rehabilitation). Then select Kuntoutus – tee hakemus (Rehabilitation – Submit an application). Finally, select Harkinnanvarainen kuntoutus (Discretionary rehabilitation).
- If you send your application to Kela in OmaKela, you do not need to sign it.
- If you have supporting documents, send them via OmaKela after you have submitted your application. If they are paper documents, you can photograph them.
- Send us a copy of your medical statement B or the other statement on your health your doctor has issued to you as a supporting document with your application.
- Visit OmaKela to see if Kela has made a decision on your application. We will also send the decision notice to the rehabilitation service provider. This tells the service provider that Kela will pay for your rehabilitation, and the service provider will reserve a place for you on the rehabilitation course.
If you cannot use OmaKela, mail your application to Kela. Save the form to your device and fill it in after saving it. Print out the completed form and send it and any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
If Kela grants you rehabilitation, the service provider will call you within 2 weeks of the day when you get a positive decision notice from Kela.
Apply for rehabilitation
Submit your application and supporting documents online.
Let us know if you cannot attend rehabilitation
Remember to tell Kela immediately if you cannot participate in the rehabilitation course. Let us know that you have to cancel by sending a message to us in the OmaKela e-service or by calling our customer service number for rehabilitation clients.
We recommend that you also contact the service provider to let them know you have to cancel.
Check if you can get travel cost reimbursements
You can get reimbursement for the costs of your trips to and from the rehabilitation facility.
What else is going on in your life?
Do you have to buy a lot of medicines?
Check the annual maximum limit on out-of-pocket medicine expenses.
Kela benefits for young people
There are many benefits available from Kela for young people who are starting an independent life and have a low income.
Could you benefit from vocational rehabilitation?
Vocational rehabilitation (ammatillinen kuntoutus) can help you choose the right occupation for you, find a job, continue working or return to work despite an illness or medical condition that you may have.
Do you have a chronic illness or a disability diagnosed by a doctor?
Check if you qualify for disability allowance (vammaistuki).