Residents of Guernsey, Alderney, Herm and Jethou who are registered with Social Security may be able to claim benefit during times of sickness and injury.
Benefits can include the following:
- A grant towards the cost of your consultation with a registered doctor or nurse.
- Benefit if you are unable to work due to sickness or injury.
- Assistance with travel expenses for medical appointments if you are referred off-island for treatment.
Please select the headings below for more information about the types of benefit available.
Grant for doctor and nurse consultations
- If you need to see a doctor or nurse then you may be able to claim a health benefit grant towards the cost of your appointment. A health benefit grant is payable if your appointment is at any of the following:
- Your doctor's surgery (if you see a registered nurse or doctor)
- Your own home
- The Primary Care Centre
- The Emergency Department at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital
- The A&E Department at the Mignot Memorial Hospital in Alderney
- Usually you will be asked to sign in when you arrive for your doctor or nurses' appointment or you will be asked to sign to say that you have seen a doctor if they visit you at home.
- You will still need to pay for your appointment but the full charge should be reduced automatically by your doctor's surgery so that you benefit from the grant.
- If you are asked to pay for your consultation in full, you may still be able to claim your grant if it is within 6 months of your appointment. Please keep your doctor's receipt and call the Health Benefits helpline on 221000 if you require further information.
Sickness and injury benefits
- If you can't work due to an illness or injury, you may be able to claim sickness benefit. To receive sickness benefit you need to be unable to work for at least 4 days and meet certain rules about the payment of contributions.
- Hopefully any sickness will only last for a short period but if you are still unable to work after 6 months, you may receive incapacity benefit instead.
- To make a claim for sickness benefit you will need to submit a medical certificate. This will be supplied by your doctor or medical professional if they feel you are unable to work. The medical certificate is your claim for benefit and you may receive this as a paper form or a digital application (which can be completed online). The process is slightly different (please see digital medical certificate section below) but, either way, the medical certificate should be sent into Social Security as soon as possible. If your claim is not received within 3 months you may lose some or all of the benefit.
- On the medical certificate your doctor may say that you are able to return to work earlier if your employer can make certain workplace adjustments, for example by providing some special equipment or allowing you to work different hours or duties. If this is the case, Social Security will write to your employer to see if they are able to support these adjustments.
- The amount of benefit payable depends on the number of Social Insurance contributions you have paid or been credited within the relevant contribution year. The current rates are set out in the Benefit Payment and Contribution Rates leaflet (Leaflet 50), which is provided in the downloads section.
- Further information can be found in the Sickness and Incapacity Benefit - Leaflet 16, available in the downloads section on this page.
Accidents at work
- If you can't work because you've had an accident at work or you have developed certain diseases or conditions while at work, you may be able to claim industrial injury benefit. To get industrial injury benefit you need to be unable to work for at least 4 days.
- Not every incident that happens in the workplace can be treated as an accident under our legislation but, if your claim is accepted, you will also get help with the cost of treatment connected with the accident.
- To make a claim for industrial injury benefit you will need to submit a medical certificate. This will be supplied by your doctor or medical professional if they feel you are unable to work. On the medical certificate you will also need to provide details about your accident.
- The medical certificate is your claim for benefit and you may receive this as a paper form or a digital application (which can be completed online). The process is slightly different (please see digital medical certificate section below) but, either way, the medical certificate should be sent into Social Security as soon as possible. If your claim is not received within 3 months you may lose some or all of the benefit.
- If you have a long-term disability as a result of your accident at work you may claim industrial disablement benefit. To make a claim, you should fill in a claim form (IDB100) which is available from the Social Security office. You can request this form by phoning the Incapacity Benefit helpline on 221000. Before a decision can be made about your claim, you will need to be seen by a Medical Board who will assess the impact of your disability. This assessment is used to decide whether you can receive benefit and, if so, how much can be paid.
- The current rates are set out in the Benefit Payment and Contribution Rates leaflet (Leaflet 50), which is provided in the downloads section.
- Further information can be found in the Industrial Injuries Benefits - Leaflet 6, available in the downloads section of this page.
Travelling off-island for medical treatment
- If the specialist treatment you need is not available in Guernsey or Alderney, you may be referred off-island.
- Further information about travelling off-island for medical treatment and the process for arranging your travel is available on our Off-Island Treatment webpage.
Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme
- A payment scheme for people with diffuse mesothelioma was launched on 1 January 2021.
- The scheme provides a single payment to people living in Guernsey or Alderney who have been exposed to asbestos and developed diffuse mesothelioma. Other asbestos-related conditions are not covered by the scheme.
- People can make an application if they:
- are 18 years or older;
- are ordinarily resident in Guernsey or Alderney;
- have been exposed to asbestos materials in Guernsey or Alderney;
- have a diagnosis of diffuse mesothelioma which has been confirmed by a Specialist Consultant.
- Payments will vary according to the age at which a person is diagnosed.
- Applications must be made within 12 months of being diagnosed with diffuse mesothelioma.
- Where a person does not receive a payment prior to their death, their partner or dependent family member can claim instead.
- Application forms can be obtained from the Pensions & Allowances team on 221000 or pensionsallowances@gov.gg
