Disability pension prevention

As part of the disability pension prevention, ZUS:

• refers to medical rehabilitation,
• disseminates knowledge about activities preventing incapacity for work.

The Social Insurance Institution provides medical rehabilitation for insured persons at risk of long-term incapacity for work due to specific diseases. ZUS covers in full the costs of rehabilitation, accommodation in the rehabilitation centre, food and spa fees. In addition, it reimburses travel expenses to and from the rehabilitation centre. Eligible persons are referred for rehabilitation in an in-patient system (24-hour stay in a rehabilitation centre) or out-patient system (daily commuting to the rehabilitation, at designated times). At the rehabilitation centre, the doctor determines an individual rehabilitation programme for the referred person depending on his or her condition. Such a programme includes activities in physiotherapy, psychology, health education and health promotion, as well as the treatment of comorbidities. ZUS does not have its own rehabilitation centres. It selects them through a competitive bidding process and enters into contracts with centres that meet specific legal, personnel, premises and medical requirements. The requirements and maximum prices per day for a person referred are contained in the rules of the competition. The centres are located throughout Poland, including in health resorts.

All rehabilitation centres cooperating with ZUS are required to ensure accessibility for persons with physical disabilities, including wheelchair users. As part of its accessibility measures, ZUS has introduced the following requirements into its agreements with the centres:

• safe and independent access to the facility, consultation rooms, rehabilitation rooms, rooms where referred persons are accommodated, and the canteen, without having to leave the facility;
• ensuring at least one room adapted to the needs of wheelchair users;
• providing a parking space for a wheelchair user.

Therefore, there are no contraindications to referring persons with disabilities who are able to move independently in a wheelchair to medical rehabilitation. 

Rehabilitation takes place:

• in an in-patient system for the following diseases:
  • motor system diseases,
  • motor system after accidents (early post-accident rehabilitation),
  • cardiovascular system diseases,
  • psychosomatic diseases,
  • respiratory system diseases,
  • voice organ,
  • following treatment for mammary gland cancer,
• in an out-patient system for the following diseases:
  • motor system diseases,
  • cardiovascular system diseases, including telemedically monitored diseases.

In 2024, the medical rehabilitation was completed by 58,100 persons. The Social Insurance Institution covered the costs of rehabilitation in the total amount of PLN 259.9 million.

In 2025, the Social Insurance Institution launched a rehabilitation programme for people with central nervous system damage.

ZUS undertakes measures aimed at maintaining the insured persons’ ability to work throughout their professional life, inter alia, by providing rehabilitation tailored to specific diseases, which in 2024 resulted in improved health conditions for over 75% of persons concerned.

In 2024, the Social Insurance Institution continued to promote knowledge on the medical rehabilitation by, inter alia, subsidising, to the amount of PLN 73 thousand, 5 scientific projects in which ZUS representatives participated. This made it possible to dissemi- nate information about the medical rehabilitation programme run by ZUS and to gain knowledge about the latest medical developments, especially in rehabilitation of diseases covered by ZUS rehabilitation programme, and also provided an opportunity to build on good practice in this area.