An application for determination of disability must be submitted to the Estonian National Social Insurance Board.

Disability is determined for children, persons of working age and persons of retirement age. If you are of working age and apply for determination of disability and assessment of work ability at the same time, you must have visited your family physician, the medical specialist who is primarily treating you or an occupational health doctor within 6 months before submission of an application for assessment of work ability.

Disability is determined on the basis of the person’s application and the abnormalities in the function of a person confirmed by the tests and diagnoses by the medical doctor. In order to determine the disability and its degree of severity, the Estonian National Social Insurance Board conducts a medical assessment with the help of a medical expert. The decision about disability is made based on the application and the information entered into the e-health information system by the medical doctor; the person does not have to visit the doctor in person. Therefore, it is very important that the main reasons for applying for a disability are described in the application. You can see the information about your health in the e-health information system by logging in with an ID-card or Mobile-ID to the Patient Portal.

A person of working age should take into account that it will take at least 1–1.5 h to fill out the application. Application forms for children and persons of retirement age are significantly shorter and simpler.

You can find the application forms on the website of the Estonian National Social Insurance Board under the section “Blanketid” (in Estonian). More specifically, see the “Puude tuvastamise ja töövõime hindamise blanketid” (in Estonian).

The application can be filled out by a person close to the applicant, the applicant’s family member, a social worker or someone else. Specify these conditions with the customer service clerk of the Estonian National Social Insurance Board.

If needed, the customer service clerks of the Estonian National Social Insurance Board offer assistance in filling out the application. For this purpose, contact the customer service office

It is important to understand that:

• The medical assessment for determining a disability assesses the person’s ability to cope as a whole, taking into account all the abnormalities that cause restrictions.
• The degree of severity of disability is assessed separately in every category (mobility, vision, psyche, etc.).
• Determination of disability does not automatically guarantee social rehabilitation services. The need for rehabilitation is assessed separately.
• Social rehabilitation always includes different services. If there is a need for only one service (e.g. speech therapist, physiotherapist), then it is not considered a need for social rehabilitation.
• The disability is determined for children for up to 3 years (on some cased up to working age), for persons of working age and for persons of retirement age for up to 5 years. At the end of the term, a new application for the determination of disability must be submitted.

Read more about the application and determination of disability on the website of the Estonian National Social Insurance Board.

The Estonian Chamber of Disabled People offers counselling for people applying for assessment of work ability or determination of disability and persons close to them.