Incapacity for work

What is incapacity for work?

Incapacity for work is a situation in which a worker is unable to perform his or her tasks or functions in his or her job.

There are different types depending on the degree of incapacity and its scope. Social Security defines these disabilities based on a series of requirements.

The different types are:

  • Temporary Incapacity (TI): This occurs when a person is on sick leave due to an illness, which can be temporary, a common illness or a non-occupational accident. The doctor is obliged to give confirmation reports to the patient, until his recovery and subsequent return to work. In this case, sick leave due to an accident at work or occupational disease is also contemplated.
  • Permanent Disability (PI): After a review of the disease that has led to the Temporary Disability of the patient during those 365 days, and always if the Social Security considers and assesses that the patient should continue with a treatment and at first without any possibility of improvement, he/she can move to the situation of Permanent Disability. In this situation there are different possibilities of permanent disability:
    • Partial Permanent Disability (IPP): When the disease that has led him to continue in a situation of disability, has produced a decrease of 33% of his performance in his professional tasks.
    • Total Permanent Disability (IPT). This situation indicates that the worker cannot perform the tasks that he/she has been doing in his/her usual job, but this does not mean that he/she cannot do other kinds of work other than the one he/she has been doing.
    • Absolute Permanent Disability (IPA). This disability disqualifies the person so assessed for all professions.
    • Great Invalidity (GI). In the event that the worker has reached this situation of great disability and needs a caregiver for daily tasks, financial assistance is added.
    • Non-disabling permanent injuries: These are injuries resulting from work, occupational disease or accident; they are sequelae that physically diminish the worker’s capacity without having the status of permanent disability.
      Social Security defines these disabilities based on a series of requirements.

    Which specialist treats you?

    Forensic Medicine specialists are in charge of examining the different injuries that a person may have, whether as a result of an accident, assault or disability.