This chapter will explain the entitlements available to people whose capacity for work is reduced or lost, as well to disabled people.

This chapter covers:

• invalidity pension (invalidska mirovina);
• income-replacement benefit for occupational rehabilitation (naknada za vrijeme korištenja prava na profesionalnu rehabilitaciju);
• benefits and assistance for disabled people (davanja i pomoć za osobe s invaliditetom).

In what situation can I claim?

You may be entitled to an invalidity pension and income-replacement benefit in the pension insurance system if your capacity for work is reduced or your capacity for work is lost fully or partially.

In the social care system, disabled people and children with disabilities may be entitled to cash benefits and a range of forms of assistance. These apply to people with physical, intellectual and sensory impairments, as well as people with mental impairments.

What conditions do I need to meet?

You are entitled to an invalidity pension if you have a partial or general disability and have completed the necessary qualifying period.

Partial or general disability may occur as a consequence of illness and accidents outside work, accidents at work or occupational disease.

If partial or general disability occurred as a consequence of accident at work or occupational disease, the entitlement to invalidity pension will be granted regardless of the length of the qualifying period. 

If partial or general disability occurred before 65 years of age as a consequence of illness or outside of work accident, the entitlement to the invalidity pension can be approved if the qualifying period covers at least one third of the working life (see Jargon busters). 

Exceptionally, if general disability occurs before the insured is 30 years of age or 35 in case of education, the qualifying period condition will be less restrictive (one, i.e., two years of the insurance period).

 (see Jargon busters).

If you are under 55 years of age, you are entitled to occupational rehabilitation and income-replacement benefit. If you remain unemployed for at least 5 uninterrupted years after occupational rehabilitation, you are entitled to temporary invalidity pension (privremena invalidska mirovina) provided you were unemployed until you reached 58 years of age.

This applies to people with established residual work capacity and who meet the conditions of the pension qualifying period required to be entitled to a pension.

What am I entitled to and how can I claim?

Invalidity pension

Invalidity pension is an entitlement from the pension insurance scheme claimed on grounds of partial or full loss of capacity for work and completed pension qualifying period. In the case of an accident at work or an occupational disease, it is claimed independently of completed pension qualifying period.

The amount of your invalidity pension depends on a number of factors.

In order to receive an invalidity pension, you must submit an application to the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute (HZMO).

While employed, this process can be initiated at the suggestion of your chosen primary healthcare doctor after completing treatment, or medical rehabilitation.

The doctor prepares all the medical documentation together with their opinion and submits this to the HZMO for the purpose of a medical assessment carried out by the Institute for Medical Assessment, Occupational Rehabilitation and Employment of People with Disabilities

Income-replacement benefit due to occupational rehabilitation

Entitlement to occupational rehabilitation is determined by decision of the regional office of the HZMO after assessment of work capacity. Reduced capacity for work with residual work capacity is determined by the authorised assessors of the Institute for Medical Assessment, Occupational Rehabilitation and Employment of People with Disabilities. While waiting for occupational rehabilitation, during the course of occupational rehabilitation and while waiting for employment after completing occupational rehabilitation, you are entitled to income-replacement benefit.

If you remain long-term unemployed after occupational rehabilitation, you are entitled to temporary invalidity pension.

Cash benefits and assistance

Within the social welfare system, (see topic Social welfare, chapter Services for people in need), disabled persons and children with developmental disabilities may be entitled to cash benefits and assistance.

Jargon busters

• Working life is the full number of years from the day the insured person reached 20 years of age to the day of partial or full loss of work capacity (23 years for an insured person with post-secondary qualifications and 26 years for persons with university qualifications). The conditions are somewhat relaxed for younger disabled people.
• Occupational rehabilitation is the procedure of enabling a disabled person to work (practical acquisition and application of knowledge, skills and habits) with preservation of their residual working and general capacities.
• Pension qualifying period is the name for the time spent in the mandatory pension insurance scheme.

Forms you may need to fill in

• Application for claiming invalidity pension/occupational rehabilitation/temporary invalidity pension.

Know your rights

You can find out about your legal rights at the links below. They are not European Commission websites and do not represent the views of the Commission:

• Social Welfare Act;
• Pension Insurance Act;
• Mandatory Pension Funds Act;
• Pension Insurance Companies Act;
• https://migracije.hr/disability-pension-2/?lang=en;
• Frequently asked questions about social welfare.

Commission publications and websites:

• http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=849&langId=en.

Who do I need to contact?

Croatian Pension Insurance Institute
A. Mihanovica 3
HR-10000 Zagreb
Croatia
Tel. +385 14595500, +385 800636363
http://mirovinsko.hr/default.aspx?id=4298