Rehabilitation for persons with rare connective tissue diseases

Rehabilitation for persons with rare connective tissue diseases is intended for adults who have been diagnosed with a rare connective tissue disease. Rehabilitation is offered in the form of group rehabilitation. The group meets on the service provider’s premises.

The rehabilitation course is free of charge.

Who is the rehabilitation course for?

Rehabilitation for persons with rare connective tissue diseases is suited for adults aged 18 or over who have been diagnosed with a rare connective tissue disease and who have enough functional capacity to participate in rehabilitation.

This rehabilitation course is not suited for clients who have been diagnosed recently or who started treatment less than a year ago.

Aim of rehabilitation

This rehabilitation course will help you adapt to the changes and new reality brought on by your condition. The aim of rehabilitation is to

• secure and improve your capacity for work and study and your functional capacity
• support the self-treatment of your condition
• improve your life management skills and help you find ways to continue to live a full and independent life to the best extent possible despite your condition.

The rehabilitation course also offers you the opportunity to get support from your peers and share your experiences with others.

How rehabilitation works

The rehabilitation course will be held on the service provider’s premises. It lasts for 5 days. You can stay overnight at the place of the rehabilitation or travel there from home each day.

The facility offers accommodation in two-person rooms (double rooms). If you want to stay in a single room, you can ask the service provider if they have single rooms available. You have to pay the extra costs of staying in a single room yourself.

During the rehabilitation course, you will work in small groups, participate in group discussions and have one-on-one meetings with rehabilitation experts.

The rehabilitation needs and goals of each participant are taken into account.

The service provider will contact you before and after the rehabilitation course.

The rehabilitation course is offered in Finnish. If you speak Swedish or one of the Sámi languages, Kela will provide an interpreter for you.

The experts involved in your rehabilitation

The following experts will plan and manage your rehabilitation programme:

• a specialist in rheumatology
• a physiotherapist
• a registered nurse or public health nurse
• a psychologist.

Depending on your individual needs, other rehabilitation professionals may also take part.

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 rehabilitation for persons with rare connective tissue diseases. The medical statement B or health statement must state which disorder or condition you have that qualifies you for rehabilitation, how well you can function, what kind of rehabilitation is recommended for you and why.

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:

1. 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. The service provider you choose can be located anywhere in Finland. Information on different service providers will be available in our service provider search later. We will inform our customers when the information is available.
   • Save the completed application form on your device. Note that the application must be in PDF format.
2. Send the application in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish).

   • Log in to OmaKela and select Tee hakemus (File an application).
   • 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.
3. 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.
4. Visit OmaKela to see if Kela has made a decision on your application. You will also get a decision by post if you have not given up paper mail. 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.

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 rehabilitation allowance and travel cost reimbursements

Kela pays rehabilitation allowance to give you financial security during rehabilitation. Kela may also reimburse you for rehabilitation-related travel costs.