One of the most vulnerable categories of citizens are pensioners.
This is due to the fact that they have relatively small benefits, which are often not enough to pay all taxes, fees, services and self-sufficiency.
That is why such citizens have the opportunity to receive a wide range of benefits and payments.
One of these preferences is free sanatorium and resort treatment, which is paid for by the state. For those who refuse discounted vouchers, they are given the opportunity to receive a cash increase in their pension in the amount of 500 rubles.
The legislative framework
The rights of citizens who have retired to a gratuitous sanatorium treatment are regulated by federal legislative documents.
This means that payment for resort treatment is provided for certain categories of pensioners throughout the state.
The main legislative documents regulating the right to a free trip for pensioners are:
- Federal Law of July 17, 1999 N 178-FZ (as amended on March 7, 2018) “On State Social Assistance” - determines the ability of citizens to receive such social assistance;
- Tax Code of the Russian Federation – controls all processes of providing benefits in the field of taxation;
- The order of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation fixes the possibility of issuing a preferential voucher for sanatorium treatment to a military pensioner.
Municipal authorities can issue their own regulatory documents that will determine the additional rights of citizens who have retired in order to receive social sanatorium vouchers for health improvement
Which pensioners are entitled to free trips to the sanatorium?
The current legislation clearly defines the categories of pensioners who can receive a preferential voucher for a resort vacation.
These are:
- Pensioners who received one of the groups of incapacity during the Second World War;
- Military personnel, employees of the penal system and the Ministry of Internal Affairs who took part in the conduct of hostilities;
- Families of deceased veterans and disabled people of the Second World War;
- Citizens who have the award “Resident of besieged Leningrad”;
- Persons with a disability established on the basis of a medical and social examination.
In addition, other categories of pensioners can also receive the right to free sanatorium vouchers.
However, they must meet the following conditions:
- The age category must correspond to the status of a pensioner;
- Do not have an official place of employment;
- Do not receive government benefits;
- Does not apply to employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, the military, or other persons who are entitled to receive a free voucher;
- The most important point is the presence of medical orders regarding the need for health improvement or treatment.
The most important point is the presence of medical orders regarding the need for health improvement or treatment.
Conditions of receipt
Each citizen who has officially completed his working career and received a pensioner’s certificate can fully apply for a preferential sanatorium voucher.
Payment for resort treatment by the state does not depend on how the citizen went on legal vacation - upon reaching the age established in legislative documents, according to the number of years of work experience, or according to medical prescriptions.
The main requirement is to have a certificate in hand, which is issued by application at the Pension Fund at the place of residence.
The right to receive free holidays is granted once per calendar year. However, if there are certain medical indications, you can get an additional voucher, which is issued upon the direction of a doctor.
If a pensioner can go on a preferential holiday to a sanatorium with two preferential rights, then he will be given the opportunity to go only once a year, on general principles.
As an example, if a citizen is both a pensioner and belongs to the Veterans of Labor Society, then a social health resort voucher will be provided for only one of them.
Payment for health care for pensioners is provided on the basis of a certificate from a medical institution. It is the doctor’s testimony that is the basis for referring an ordinary citizen for health improvement or treatment.
In most cases, elderly people have a history of a number of chronic diseases, which leaves only the choice of a more troubling problem.
A free social voucher is provided only to officially unemployed pensioners. In addition, the candidate for vacation must draw up a written refusal of the monetary compensation that is provided in return for this preference.
Working pensioners can go on a free sanatorium vacation only on medical orders that require further recovery after hospital treatment.
Conditions for issuing social vouchers to pensioners
Every citizen of our country who has officially retired has the right to receive a social voucher. And it doesn’t matter how this happened - upon reaching retirement age, preferential service, or for medical reasons. The main thing is to have in your hands a certificate issued by the Pension Fund in accordance with all the rules.
This right can be used once a year. Although there are exceptions here too. For serious medical reasons, you can get an additional voucher if doctors consider it necessary. True, in practice this is rarely used, but there is a possibility, please take note.
Important! You cannot exercise the right twice. If you received a voucher as an ordinary pensioner, then it is impossible to go for treatment a second time using a different benefit. For example, you may be a veteran. There are two programs available to you - as an ordinary pensioner and as a veteran. Going for treatment twice with different benefits will not work.
A social voucher is issued on the basis of a certificate from a medical institution. The main condition for granting the right to free treatment to an ordinary pensioner is medical indications. Doctors must confirm that you require spa treatment.
As a rule, people who have reached retirement age already have a history of a number of chronic diseases; all that remains is to set priorities and choose the “sore” that most requires attention.
Important! Free vouchers are issued only to pensioners who do not work. A waiver of monetary compensation for this benefit must be formalized.
Although for medical reasons, working citizens who need continued treatment after hospitalization can also go for treatment at public expense. But the regulations for obtaining vouchers for such categories are somewhat different; it is better to clarify the nuances in the medical institution.
How can a pensioner get a ticket to a sanatorium for free?
Payment for a sanatorium-resort holiday is due only after submitting an application and the necessary list of documents to the local Department of Social Protection of the Population. First of all, you will need to draw up the main document on which preferential vacation vouchers are issued - a certificate in form 070/U-04.
This document is prepared by a therapist at a local clinic.
In order to receive a free voucher, a pensioner will need to attend an appointment with a doctor.
It is recommended to decide in advance on the direction in which the citizen wants to undergo recovery - this directly affects the choice of sanatorium, since they are all specialized and are intended for the treatment of various diseases.
Each clinic regulates the procedure for preparing such a document in its own way, based on internal regulations. The examination may consist of either a simple test or examination by highly specialized doctors.
In most cases, the depth of the examination directly depends on the severity of the existing disease.
The duration of obtaining a certificate may vary. Delays can only occur if doctors have a heavy workload and unstable schedule.
However, the pensioner needs to complete the prescribed examination, which requires patience.
After the doctor confirms your status in need of sanatorium-resort treatment, you will need to take a completed certificate and submit it to the Social Security Administration at your place of registration.
Where to go?
Financing of sanatorium and resort vouchers for citizens who have retired is carried out from the regional budget. Referrals for free health care are reviewed and issued by social security at the place of residence.
In most government agencies there is a waiting list to receive a voucher, since there are many applicants, and the region’s budget is strictly limited.
Every year, by counting the number of submitted applications and referrals for diseases, an approximate budget for this state program is formed for the next calendar year.
Since space is limited, it is recommended that you submit your application as early as possible.
Documents for sanatorium and resort treatment for pensioners
Payment for a health voucher from social security is issued on the basis of the documentation provided by the pensioner. It is recommended to prepare the papers in advance so as not to waste time on a repeat visit.
The main set of documents is:
- Applicant's passport;
- A completed application requesting a free trip to health resorts;
- Pensioner's certificate confirming the right to preferential provision of a voucher;
- Employment history;
- Certificate in form 070/U-04.
It is recommended to prepare the papers in advance by making photocopies, preferably in several copies. All documents are provided along with the originals so that government officials can determine the accuracy of the documentation.
The departments of social protection of the population of individual regions may request additional documents: a certificate of the amount of pension benefits, an extract from the place of residence, etc. The applicant undertakes to provide the requested documents within the prescribed period.
The application review period is twenty calendar days from the date of acceptance of the full list of papers.
In most cases, social security approves the application if it meets all the standards, and the applicant is put in line to receive a free voucher for sanatorium treatment.
Each of the pensioners who received a voucher is paid for travel to the place of recovery and back at the expense of the state.
Procedure for obtaining a voucher
Obtaining a certificate form 070/U-04
I wrote above that free vouchers to a sanatorium for an “ordinary” pensioner are issued only for medical reasons. Confirmation of the presence of indications is a certificate of form 070/U-04, which is issued by a therapist at the clinic.
Therefore, the first thing you should do is go to the doctor for an appointment. I recommend thinking in advance about the direction in which you would like to undergo treatment; the profile of the sanatorium will depend on this. Because after submitting an already completed certificate to social security, it will be difficult to change anything.
The rules for issuing such a certificate vary from clinic to clinic; doctors act based on internal orders and instructions of their institution. In some places it is enough to pass a minimum set of tests, in others you need to see doctors of different profiles and do more research. Often the depth of the examination depends on the severity of your illness.
The process of obtaining a certificate may take a long time due to the busy schedule of doctors. It's no secret that sometimes you have to wait a month to see a specialist. However, you cannot move forward without a certificate; it is the basis for considering the issue of allocating a social security voucher.
We submit documents to social security
The next thing you must do is submit your documents to the social welfare department. In many places, this process takes place like an MFC, so now it is more civilized there. Of course there are queues, but with the introduction of the electronic system it has become much easier.
List of documents
- Passport
- Pensioner's ID
- Snils
- Employment history
- Certificate form 070/U-04
In some regions, a number of other documents are required: pension amount, certificate of residence, etc. Therefore, be sure to check the required list so that you do not have to come twice.
In social security, fill out an application in which you indicate the desired time to visit the sanatorium and other details that are important to you. It will then go for review. You will be notified of the decision made within 20 days. In most cases, the answer is yes, you will be put in line to receive a voucher and given its number.
Issuing a voucher
You often have to wait a long time for your turn, just take this fact for granted. You must be informed about the provision of a voucher two weeks before the start of the sanatorium-resort treatment. However, there are different situations, sometimes people refuse and a free space appears. Therefore, they can call from social security at any time.
After issuing the long-awaited voucher, the specialist will inform you about further actions. In any case, you will have to go to the clinic again.
Certificate form 070/U-04 is valid for 6 months; if the deadline has expired, you will need to issue a new one. Typically, repeating the process takes less time. In addition, you still need to get a sanatorium-resort card; it is required for treatment in a sanatorium.
Bring completed medical documents to social security and receive a voucher.
Everything is ready, go for treatment. Before your trip, I recommend reading my article “Sanatorium-Resort Treatment, the Whole Truth and Misconceptions”, I don’t pretend to be the truth, but you will get a general idea of the process of relaxation and treatment in sanatoriums.
Vouchers for pensioners of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
Citizens who previously carried out official work in the Ministry of Internal Affairs can only receive a resort voucher to a sanatorium, which is subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Such citizens are also compensated for travel to the sanatorium and in the opposite direction. If a former employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs wants to take his family with him, then he can count on discounts and payment of only half of the cost of their vouchers.
Not all pensioners who previously worked in the Ministry of Internal Affairs can receive such a benefit.
How to get a free trip to a sanatorium for former military personnel?
Retired military personnel are not entitled to a free trip to sanatorium-resort treatment. However, former military personnel can purchase a trip with a 50% discount from some companies that provide such services.
If a military pensioner does not have an official place of work, he is provided with compensation for travel expenses to the place of rest and back.
According to the law, veterans of military service or labor activity registered in the capital of the Russian Federation are given a voucher no more than once a year according to medical prescriptions.
How to get to a sanatorium under the compulsory medical insurance program and who has the right to it
Unfortunately, not every owner can get a ticket to a health resort under a compulsory medical insurance policy. You can go to a sanatorium for health improvement only for certain indications based on the conclusion of a medical commission. You can get the green light to apply for a free trip to one of the Russian health resorts in 2021 under the following circumstances:
- the patient is insured in the compulsory insurance system of the Russian Federation and has a valid compulsory medical insurance policy;
- the patient was subject to surgery or suffered a serious illness.
Among the ailments that are treated at the sanatorium-resort institution are the following:
- diseases of the heart and blood vessels: myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, angina pectoris, surgery on the heart and blood vessels;
- diseases of the digestive system: removal of the gallbladder, operations for stomach and duodenal ulcers, diabetes mellitus;
- pathologies of the musculoskeletal and central nervous system: orthopedic operations, defects and malformations of the spinal column, spinal surgery, joint plastic surgery, prosthetics;
- diseases of pregnant women who are at risk.
Good to know! Many people mistakenly believe that the above is a complete list of diseases for which you can get a free ticket to preventive treatment in a sanatorium. However, it is not. A complete list of indications for sanatorium-resort treatment is given in Order of the Ministry of Health of Russia dated May 5, 2016 No. 281n. Here you can see such an exhaustive list of various diseases that they can be found in anyone, since this even includes insomnia, bronchitis and scoliosis.
The patient is admitted to the sanatorium for a course of health improvement if he has a referral in hand on form No. 057/u-04. The medical commission gives an opinion if the above indications are present and provided there are no contraindications.
Which sanatoriums can I get a free voucher for?
The list of institutions where you can receive payment for health improvement can be found in the lists approved by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. The list was compiled on the basis of legislative requirements and contains more than 800 sanatorium and resort complexes throughout Russia.
Most of them are located in the Caucasus - in Mineralnye Vody, as well as in the Krasnodar district - Anapa, Sochi. There are a considerable number of sanatoriums in the Stavropol region.
Military pensioners can go to health institutions located in the Moscow region, Arkhangelsk district, Volga region, North Caucasus district, Petrozavodsk and a number of other territories, depending on the disease.
The duration of treatment in a sanatorium is 18 days.
However, if an incompetent citizen who has spinal or brain injuries, or has been disabled since childhood, is undergoing treatment, then treatment can last up to 24 days.
How to get a ticket to a sanatorium under the compulsory medical insurance program: step-by-step instructions
In order to receive a referral from the commission for health improvement in a sanatorium institution, a specific confirmed diagnosis is required. Therefore, you will have to go through several stages:
- Contact your attending physician at the clinic at your place of residence, taking your compulsory medical insurance policy with you, and describe your complaints to him. If the diagnosis has not been confirmed earlier, the doctor will conduct an examination, give a referral for tests, and, if necessary, prescribe additional examinations.
- When the insured is or has been in hospital treatment, he will need a discharge summary confirming the diagnosis. In this case, it is enough to simply provide it to your therapist, and there is usually no need to undergo additional examination.
- Based on the examination, the attending physician issues a referral for medical selection for rehabilitation in a sanatorium.
- Then you need to wait for the documents to be reviewed by a medical commission, which decides to issue a conclusion on the presence or absence of indications and contraindications for undergoing a course of treatment in a medical institution.
- Based on this conclusion, the patient turns to his general practitioner for a certificate to obtain a travel voucher . Its validity period is 6 months.
When it comes to free treatment under the compulsory medical insurance system, the insured cannot independently choose an institution. It all depends on what vouchers are available at the time the referral is issued. However, you can get acquainted with the list of Russian sanatoriums and see their contacts by following the link.
Refuse free travel
The main factors for which a negative response is given to a request for payment for health treatment is insufficient funding, lack of available vouchers, or the citizen’s application is not at his place of registration.
If a refusal due to insufficient financial resources is issued to a disabled person of group 1 or 2, or to a combat veteran, then you can safely go to court, since such a response is contrary to current legislation.
Granting a refusal due to lack of vouchers is most often argued by the fact that the pensioner submitted the application late.
