Rare Cases of Kela Subsidy Abuses Reported

Delving deeper into the topic of social benefits, Kela reveals that from 2018 to 2023, the number of suspected abuses has remained surprisingly low. It was noted that just under half of all paid benefits were under suspicion of abuse in the last year.

In the last year, the majority of abuse suspicions were concentrated on basic income support, with unemployment insurance and general housing support following closely behind.

Interestingly, Kela points out that in previous years, unemployment insurance took the brunt of abuse suspicions, holding the largest share.

With the introduction of the income register system, Kela reports a noticeable decrease in the suspicions of abuse, particularly with unemployment insurance and housing allowance.

Kela clarifies that suspected abuse of benefits is determined in cases where a consultation has taken place regarding suspected abuse and a decision has been made on the matter by Kela. They define abuse as a situation where the beneficiary intentionally attempts to unjustly receive a benefit or tries to obtain more than they are entitled to.