Reduction of or exemption from client fees in health and social services

You can apply for a reduction of or exemption from all social welfare fees, and health care fees that are determined based on your income.

You can apply for a reduction of or exemption from, for example, the following fees:

• client fees for home care
• fees for domestic services for families
• fees for disability services
• fees for mental health and substance abuse services (except detoxification)
• fees for long-term institutional care
• fees for long-term housing services.

You can apply for a reduction of client fees by filling in the application for the reduction of client fees and returning the form and the required documents to the party responsible for the processing of client fees in your municipality of residence.

You can also apply for a reduction through a free-form written application. Your application should clearly state what fees your application concerns, starting from what date you are applying for a reduction or exemption, and on what grounds. Your application needs to include your income and expenses and the related documents. You can find the list of the required documents in the application form. Please note that the processing of your application will take longer if any of the required documents are missing.

You are obliged to inform the responsible party if your financial situation changes. A decision based on incorrect information can be rectified retroactively for a period of one year.

The decision on a reduction or exemption is mainly made from the beginning of the month when the application was submitted. The decision is always made based on the client’s financial situation and individual consideration.

Uniform principles have been established for the reduction of or exemption from client fees in the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County. In the file, you will find further information on, for example, the covered income, expenses, and the asset limit.

Fixed-rate health care fees include fees for health centre visits, oral health care, short-term institutional care, detoxification, and physiotherapy.

You cannot apply for a reduction of these fees. However, these services are free of charge for certain client groups. In addition, there is an annual payment ceiling for certain fees.

If you are unsatisfied with the fixed-rate health care client fee, you can file a request for an administrative review according to the instructions on the invoice.

Principles for the reduction of or exemption from client fees in the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County (in Finnish):

Client fees