Vocational rehabilitation assessment for young persons – support in finding job options

What is a vocational rehabilitation assessment?

The vocational rehabilitation assessment is intended for young persons aged 16–29. During your vocational rehabilitation assessment, you will get guidance and practical steps that can help you start studies or find work.

The assessment is free of charge for you.

A vocational rehabilitation assessment is one of the many vocational rehabilitation services Kela can offer to young persons. If your functional capacity has declined due to a medical condition, vocational rehabilitation services may be the right option for you.

Who is the assessment for?

A vocational rehabilitation assessment may be a good option for you if

• you do not have any plans yet for further study or work
• you need help from an expert to find the right kind of work for you
• you need help with finding work or starting your studies.

What is the assessment like?

Your vocational rehabilitation assessment will proceed in stages:

1. During the initial assessment (2–4 days), your functional capacity and life situation will be assessed. The aim is to gain a good understanding of what measures would best support your ability to work or study and your rehabilitation.
2. A follow-up assessment (6–8 days) will be made if necessary. The follow-up assessment focuses more on your goals and finding suitable job or study options in cooperation with various actors if necessary.
3. You will also have a follow-up session to talk about how your vocational plan is progressing, and you will get support for making progress on your plan if necessary. If you have not made any progress, a follow-up meeting and a consultation with your network will be scheduled for you. Your network can include, for example, healthcare providers.

During your rehabilitation assessment, you will work together with experts to find job options that are suited for your health, skills and life situation. During the assessment, you will

• meet with various experts (doctor, psychologist, social worker, working life specialist)
• discuss your situation, goals and expectations
• complete tasks and answer surveys that will help assess your situation
• work together with experts to understand what kinds of services you need
• learn about various options and services.

You will also work together with experts to make a vocational plan. The plan contains practical suggestions and alternatives for how you can enter working life or start studies. If necessary, the experts will tell you about other useful services you can contact, such as other forms of rehabilitation or the employment services.

How to apply

1. Fill in the form Vocational rehabilitation for young persons (KU 143e, PDF).

   • 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. 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.
2. Send the application in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish).

   • Log in to OmaKela and select Tee hakemus (Submit an application).
   • First select Sairastaminen ja kuntoutus (Sickness and rehabilitation). Then select Kuntoutus – tee hakemus (Rehabilitation – Submit an application). Finally, select Ammatillinen kuntoutus (Vocational rehabilitation).
   • If you send your application in OmaKela, you do not need to sign it.
3. 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.

Let us know if you cannot attend the vocational rehabilitation assessment

Remember to tell Kela immediately if you cannot participate in the vocational rehabilitation assessment. 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.