As a seafarer, you are covered by special provisions on sickness benefits if you:
- are working on board a Danish ship not exclusively engaged in domestic voyages
- are staying abroad and have, during the last two weeks, been working on board a Danish ship unless you have, after the termination of service, had another job
- you are employed by a shipowner and staying abroad as part of your employment
- are travelling to or from the ship if you are working on board a Danish ship engaged in domestic voyages.
If you work only on ships engaged in domestic voyages or if you hold your holiday/days off ashore in Denmark after the termination of your service, you are covered by the general provisions on sickness benefits - even though you are still employed by the shipowner.
During illness, you are entitled to receive wages (sickness pay) from your employer in accordance with the provisions of the act on seafarers' conditions of employment, etc. If you are ill at the termination of the ship service, the shipowner is obliged to pay sickness pay for a period of up to 16 weeks irrespective of the termination of your employment before the expiry of 16 weeks.
If you are not entitled to receive sickness pay, your employer must pay you sickness benefits for the first 30 days of the period of sickness (employer period) if you meet the conditions below.
- You have been employed uninterruptedly during the last eight weeks.
- You have been working for at least 74 hours during the eight-week period.
When your employer is no longer obliged to pay sickness pay, you can receive sickness benefits from the Danish Maritime Authority if you meet one or more of the conditions below.
- You have been employed uninterruptedly during the last 26 weeks and been working for at least 240 hours during this period.
- You are a member of an unemployment fund and are as such entitled to receive benefits.
- You have contracted an industrial injury covered by the act on industrial injury insurance.
If this is the case, the Danish Maritime Authority will pay you sickness benefits. If your employer pays you sickness pay, the Danish Maritime Authority can refund your employer. The Danish Maritime Authority can pay you sickness benefits for a period of up to 18 weeks from the first whole day lost due to sickness.
- After 18 weeks, the payment of your sickness benefits will be made by the municipality where you are domiciled. If you live in another EU/EEA country, the payment will be made by the municipality in which the shipowner or the employer is domiciled.
- If you live outside the EU/EEA, your right to receive sickness benefits expires after 18 weeks.
- If you have incurred an industrial injury and this is the reason why you are reported ill, the Danish Maritime Authority will extend the sickness benefits period until the National Board of Industrial Injuries in Denmark has taken a decision on your loss of the capacity for work.
Shipowners and employers are obliged to take out insurance for all employees. This means that all seafarers, irrespective of nationality, on board Danish ships are covered by the act on industrial injury insurance.
Read more on: http://www.aes.dk/