AO Control
The SZV procedures for AO control have changed. The following procedures are effective as of August 13, 2020.
Please note:
In accordance to the ZV Ordinance, if the employee does not report for AO Control at SZV on the third (3rd) day of being unfit to work, due to illness, the employer will not be able to claim loss of wages from SZV for the days that the employee was unfit to work. The risk of this includes, that the employee may not qualify for sickness insurance benefits.
Sick-Leave first 2 days
- Employers are insured for loss of wages via SZV, after the SZV doctor controls and verifies the sick-leave of the employee on the 3rd day of being unfit for work.
- To minimize the financial risks of the first 3 days, many employers choose to implement an internal sick leave policy and/or include the services of an occupational doctor/agency to assist them with the design of their sick-leave management policies and employee reintegration programs.
- Employers are encouraged to implement an internal sick-leave policy and employees are encouraged to adhere to these internal sick-leave policies of their employers.
Who
ZV Insured and Employers
Employee: When to report to SZV
Important change: It is no longer mandatory by SZV for the employee to visit the family doctor (GP) or medical specialist on the first (1st) day of being unfit for work, due to illness. The GP or medical specialist no longer needs to sign the yellow card.- On the first (1st) day of illness, the employee must inform their employer directly that they are unfit to work.
- On the third (3rd) day of being unfit to work, due to illness, the employee reports for AO control at SZV online.
- If on the third (3rd) day the employee can work, they must return to work. If the employee returns to work on the third (3rd) day, they do not need to report online for AO control at SZV.
Employee: online AO control and assessment
- The employee must report to SZV on the third (3rd) day of being unfit for work, due to illness, via the online AO control form, available by clicking here.
The online AO control form must be completed in full by the employee. The employee must have a yellow card number, active phone number and valid e-mail address. - The employee must be available for the call-back assessment by the SZV control doctor:
- If the employee is not available for the call-back assessment, the procedure is then incomplete and the employee will have to register again.
- Risks are that the employee may not qualify for sickness insurance benefits and/or the employer may not qualify for loss of wages.
- The SZV control doctor may request additional medical records as part of the AO control procedure, to further determine the return to work or follow-up date of the employee. - After the call-back assessment with the SZV control doctor, the employee will receive an e-mail confirmation of completed AO control. The employee must save this e-mail and provide their employer with a copy.
- If a return to work date has been established by the SZV control doctor and on this date the employee still feels unfit for work, they must report online for AO control according to the same procedure.
Government employed/other civil and public servants - please note:
Government employed/other civil and public servants to whom the OZR rules are applicable (OZR): If you are employed by government, your department will determine the applicable procedure for you. Depending on your department rules you will need to report online for AO control on the 1st or 4th day of being unfit for work. There is no need to visit your GP prior to reporting online for AO control at SZV. Persons who chose to not follow these rules can get first day control mandated by their HR department. Everyone else reports online on the 4th day of being unfit for work.
Employer: Yellow card number and Loss of wages
- The employer must provide each employee with their individual yellow card number. SZV will only issue the number(s) to the employer, yellow cards will no longer be printed.
- The employer requests the yellow card number by sending an email to info@szv.sx.
- The employee will receive a confirmation e-mail by the SZV control doctor once the AO assessment has been completed. The employee must provide the employer with a copy of this e-mail. This e-mail replaces the printed yellow card and must be used for the request of loss of wages to SZV.
- Reminder: Employee wages for the first (1st), second (2nd) and third (3rd) day of being unfit for work, due to illness, remains the responsibility of the employer.
