Benefit-related data are used in providing customer service and reviewing claims for benefit as part of a statutory social insurance programme.
Privacy statement for the Kela benefit register
1 Register controller
The Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela)
PL 450, 00056 HELSINKI or Nordenskiöldinkatu 12, 00250 HELSINKI
020 634 11
http://www.kela.fi/administration
2 Additional information and contact for register-related matters
Tel. 020 692 352
3 Name of register
Benefit register
4 Purpose and basis for the handling of personal data
Benefit-related data are used in providing customer service and reviewing claims for benefit as part of a statutory social insurance programme.
The data are also used by Kela for planning and research purposes as well as in the context of data exchange.
The handling of the data is based on the fulfilment of Kela’s statutory responsibilities. A list of the relevant statutory provisions is attached as Appendix 2.
5 Data content of the register
The benefit register contains general data on beneficiaries, benefit-related data, information about customer service and claims processing, and statistical data.
The types of data contained in the register are described in Appendix 1.
6 Regular sources of data
Data are obtained from customers personally and from government authorities and other entities, including the Population Register Centre, the Finnish Tax Administration and its Income Register Unit, authorised pension providers, insurance companies, workplace funds, social welfare and healthcare authorities, and labour authorities.
Data are also obtained from pharmacies and parties to direct reimbursement agreements (health service providers and transport operators providing services under the Health Insurance Act). Further, data are obtained from the Board of Education’s Opintopolku.fi and KOSKI data resources. Study-related data on higher education students are obtained from the VIRTA data resources administered by the Ministry of Education and Culture.
7 Regular disclosure of data
Provided the requirements set out in law are met, Kela discloses customer data electronically to such entities as the Finnish Tax Administration, the authorised pension providers, employment accident insurance providers, social welfare and healthcare authorities, and pharmacies.
8 Transfer of data outside the EU or EEA
In specific cases, data are transferred outside the EU or EEA in accordance with social security agreements. The data are transferred manually on paper forms.
9 Retention period for personal data
The retention periods for benefit-related data are based on the legislation governing the benefits and the Accounting Act. The standard retention period is 10 years from the discontinuation of the benefit, which is based on the six-year retention period specified in the Accounting Act and the additional time needed for appeal and recovery of overpayment.
Some data, such as the data on prescription medicines reimbursed at the pharmacy, are deleted after three years have elapsed from the end of the accounting year in which the reimbursement was paid. Read more about retention period for personal data.
10 Principles of register security
At Kela, data security and protection of personal data are systematically taken into account in all use and handling of information. Kela handles all personal data with data protection in mind and in the manner determined by law.
All persons at Kela who handle personal data sign a confidentiality agreement. The register data are used only by authorised persons who need them to perform their official duties.
11 Right of access to data
According to Article 15 of EU Regulation 2016/679, the data subject has the right to access personal data concerning him or her, i.e. a right to check information concerning the person himself or herself.
The request can be made by phone, by using the Message function on Kela’s e-service, by submitting a written request to Kela’s Registry, or by contacting a Kela office personally. Please note that our e-service is only available in Finnish and Swedish. The contact information can be found in section 1.
12 Right of correction
According to Article 16 of EU Regulation 2016/679, the data subject has the right to request the correction of inaccurate personal data concerning him or her.
In the request, they must identify the incorrect information, indicate why it is incorrect and specify how it should be amended.
The request can be made by phone, by using the Message function on Kela’s e-service, by submitting a written request to Kela’s Registry, or by contacting a Kela office personally. The contact information can be found in section 1.
13 Right of erasure
According to Article 17 of EU Regulation 2016/679, the data subject has the right to request the erasure of personal data concerning him or her.
This right does not concern personal data that Kela needs to carry out its statutory duties.
14 Right to file a complaint with a supervisory authority
According to Article 77 of EU Regulation 2016/679, the data subject has the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Ombudsman, if the data subject considers that the processing of personal data relating to him or her infringes this Regulation.
Appendix 1: Types of data contained in the register
GENERAL INFORMATION
General information may be used in the administration of benefit schemes. General information includes the following:
- personal information
- address and residential information
- other contact information such as e-mail and telephone
- payment details and payee information
- family and other relationship information
- resident permit information
- tax information
- information about earnings and assets
- tax withholding information
- benefit reference data
BENEFIT-RELATED DATA
The benefits and the data used in connection with them are listed in the order of which customers may encounter them in their lives.
1. PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH, CHILDCARE
- Maternity, paternity and parental allowances: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Maternity grant: Claim, review, determination, delivery and processing data
- Child benefit: Claim, review, determination, decision and payment data
- Child benefit: Overpayment and recovery data
- Child benefit follow-up data
- Child care allowance: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Child maintenance allowance: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Payment of child support debt
- Dependent child increase data (unemployment benefits, labour market training subsidy, national pension)
- Compensation for family leave costs: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
2. ILLNESS, INJURY OR FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT OF CHILD/FAMILY MEMBER
- Disability allowance for persons under 16 years: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Special care allowance: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Spouse supplement data (national pensions)
3. OWN ILLNESS, INJURY OR DISABILITY
- Reimbursements of medical expenses: Claim, determination, payment and processing data
- Cross-border medical care benefits: Determination, payment and processing data
- Entitlement to reimbursement of medicine expenses: Claim, review, determination and processing data
- Reimbursements of medicine expenses: Follow-up and cumulative data
- Sickness allowance: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Rehabilitation: Claim, review, determination, decision, payment, processing and implementation data
- Rehabilitation follow-up data
- Rehabilitation allowance: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Disability pension and its components, special assistance to immigrants: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Individual early retirement pension and its components: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Disability allowance for persons aged 16 years or over: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Data on the care allowance for pensioners (disability pension, individual early retirement pension, old-age pension, early old-age pension)
- Data on purchases of medicine with a social assistance voucher
4. STUDENTS
- Financial aid for students: Claim, processing, review, determination, payment and decision data
- Financial aid for students: Overpayment recovery and follow-up data
- School transport subsidy: Claim, processing, review, determination, payment and decision data
- School transport subsidy: Overpayment recovery and follow-up data
- Student loan and interest allowance data
- Financial aid for students: Student selection data
- Financial aid for students: Data on debts repayable under government loan guarantee
- Labour market adult education subsidy: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Adult education subsidy: Loan guarantee data
- Vocational rehabilitation data (rehabilitation data in section 3)
- Housing data (in section 8)
- Orphan’s pension data (survivor pensions in section 9)
5. UNEMPLOYMENT
- Basic unemployment allowance: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Basic unemployment allowance follow-up data
- Labour market subsidy: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Labour market subsidy follow-up data
- Job alternation compensation payment data
- Job alternation compensation follow-up data
- Unemployment pension and its components: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Pension assistance for the long-term unemployed: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Integration allowance: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Integration allowance follow-up data
- Job alternation compensation: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Travel allowance: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Travel allowance follow-up data Commuting and relocation allowance: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Commuting and relocation allowance follow-up data
- Pension assistance: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
6. WAR VETERANS, CONSCRIPTS
- Data on supplements paid to front-veterans and to persons having participated in mine clearance operations (national pension)
- Front-veteran's supplement payable abroad: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Conscript’s allowance: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
7. OLD AGE
- Pensions and their components: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Special assistance to immigrants: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
- Guarantee pension: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
8. HOUSING AND OTHER ECONOMIC SECURITY
- General housing allowance: Claim, review, determination, decision, payment and processing data
- General housing allowance: Tabulated data, municipality data and exempt income data
- Financial aid for students: Housing supplement data
- Conscript’s allowance: Housing assistance data
- Housing allowance for pensioners: Claim, review, determination, decision, payment and processing data
- Basic social assistance: Claim, review, determination, decision, payment and processing data
- Basic social assistance: Voucher data
9. DEATH OF A FAMILY MEMBER
- Survivor’s pension and its components: Claim, review, determination, payment and processing data
10. OTHER CUSTOMER-RELATED DATA
- tax information
- information about earnings and assets
- Pension directory data
- Pension insurance: Historical data
- Earnings-related pension, worker’s compensation, military injury and traffic accident data, data on voluntary pensions, and data on earnings-related unemployment benefits
- Overpayment recovery data (sickness allowance, reimbursements of medical expenses, allowances for parents, child care allowances, child home care allowance, basic unemployment allowance, labour market adult education, labour market subsidy, rehabilitation benefits, pension benefits, special assistance for immigrants, financial aid for students, interest allowance, school transport subsidy, conscript’s allowance and general housing allowance)
- Amount and recovery of child support debt; Claim, review, determination and processing data for exemptions from payment
- European Health Insurance Card orders
- Non-photo Kela Card/Health Insurance Card orders
- Identity card register
- Annual notifications
- Requests for further information
- Occupational health care for entrepreneurs and other self-employed persons: Claim, determination, payment and processing data
- Data on insurance coverage and residence abroad
- resident permit data
- Additional information
- Personal records
- Electronic records management data
- Technical amendments of register data
- Basic social assistance
- Integration assistance
- Travel allowance
- Job alternation compensation
- Commuting and relocation allowance
11. STATISTICAL DATA
- Pension insurance and special assistance for immigrants
- Health insurance benefits
- Unemployment benefits
- Student benefits Family benefits
- Rehabilitation benefits
- Other social security
- Insurance status
- Basic social assistance
The data content is equivalent to that presented above in the context of each category of benefit.
12. DATA HANDLED MANUALLY
- Personal records (arranged alphabetically by office)
- Benefit claims and supporting documents
- Certain other short document series related to benefit administration
Appendix 2: List of legislation relevant to the Benefit Register
- Section 2, Act on the Social Insurance Institution
- Section 3, Act on National Pensions
- Section 6, Act on Guarantee Pensions
- Section 3, Pensioners’ Housing Allowance Act
- Section 3, Act on Special Assistance for Immigrants
- Section 21, Act on Pension Assistance to the Long-Term Unemployed
- Section 14, Act on Front-Veterans’ Pensions
- Section 8, Act on Front-Veterans’ Supplements Payable Abroad
- Section 3, Act on the Labour Market Subsidy
- Chapter 1, Section 3, chapter 15, section 1Health Insurance Act
- Chapter 1, Section 4, Unemployment Security Act
- Chapter 12, Section 3, Act on Public Employment Service
- Chapter 16, Section 21, Act on Job Alternation Compensations
- Sections 7 and 17, Act on the Integration of Immigrants and the Reception of Asylum Seekers
- Sections 4 and 5, Act on Rehabilitative Work Activity
- Section 8, Act on Child Home Care and Private Day Care Allowances
- Section 3, Act on Child Benefits
- Section 1, Act on the Rehabilitation Services and Cash Benefits Provided by Kela
- Section 11, Housing Allowances Act
- Section 4, Maternity Grants Act
- Section 5, Act on Conscripts’ Allowances
- Section 8, Act on Student Financial Aid
- Section 3, Act on Child Maintenance Allowances
- Sections 7 and 14, Act on School Transport Subsidy of General and Vocational Upper Secondary Education Students
- Section 2, Act on the Application of the Legislation on Residence-Based Social Security
- Section 4, Act on Adult Education Allowances
- Section 2, Government Decree on the Responsibilities of Kela in Implementing Certain Provisions of Regulation (EC) No. 1408/71
- Social security agreements
- Section 4, Act on Social Assistance
- Section 24, Act on Pension Assistance
- Section 2, Act on the Basic Income Experiment