The Social Security Fund on expenses to prevent Covid-19

In its Letter No. 02-09-11/12-05-19094 dated 5 August, the Russian Social Security Fund explained the rules for reimbursing expenses to prevent the coronavirus (COVID-19) using accident insurance contributions.

The Fund points out that the reimbursement of expenses may be expected where:

• employees are tested in laboratories licensed to operate with infectious diseases of hazard level II; and
• the insurer has also submitted a list of actions to prevent the coronavirus consistent with the recommendations of the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (known in Russian by the abbreviation ‘Rospotrebnadzor’).

The list of protective gear to be purchased should state, along with the quantity and cost of such equipment, the number of employees who will be provided with it (taking into account Rospotrebnadzor's relevant standards for issuing it).

The expenses will be reimbursed in an amount of no more than 20 % of the insurance contributions for the previous year net of any temporary disability allowances paid to the employee and vacation during his/her therapy.

Reimbursement will be granted for expenses in relation to all employees and irrespective of the place where the protective gear and preventive tools have been manufactured (including for any foreign equipment, along with gear manufactured in Russia).

The annex to the Letter features a form approved by the Fund for reporting the use in 2020 of insurance contributions to prevent the coronavirus. Currently, the Fund is developing other forms of reporting documents as well, which will be communicated to insurers.

The notification period regarding the results of considering an application for expenses to be reimbursed (for preventive measures to be financed) has been extended up to 1 November 2020.