Accidents at school happen. However, parents are not always aware of their children’s care rights while they are in school and, therefore, the issue of medical expenses can be more complicated to resolve. However, if as a worker you have a work accident insurance that covers the accidents you have at your place of work as well as when traveling between it and your home, then the same should not happen with children in the school? Yes, indeed it happens. There is insurance (school insurance) that covers accidents that may occur at school and on the way between the school and the child’s home. And that like all insurance has events that are covered and others that are excluded.
What is considered a school accident?
A school accident is considered event that takes place at the place and during class time and on the school-home journey and vice versa, whichand causes the student injury, illness or in extreme cases death.
What does the law say about accidents at school?
Yours children are protected as long as they are the responsibility of the school. the so-called school insurancer is regulated by Ordinance n.º 413/99, which details the rules in force for this insurance. Also read: How to save on back to school
School insurance is mandatory
school insurance It is mandatory for students to attend public educational establishmentsexcept in higher education, and also private and cooperative establishments under a contract of association.
Insurance premium is paid upon enrollment
O insurance premium is annual and is 1% of the national minimum wage, that is, in 2022 it is 7.0€, being paid at the time of enrollment. At this point you must be thinking that you do not remember having paid for this insurance when you enrolled your child in school. The reason is simple, insurance is free for pre-school and compulsory education students (up to the 12th grade or 18 years old) and for the disabled. But for the other cases it is paid at the time of registration.
Do you know the insurance conditions in case of accidents at school?
Despite being free for most children, it exists and, therefore, a copy of the policy should be distributed to students or guardians at enrollment. But most schools do not do this, which means that parents are unaware of their children’s rights in the event of an accident. Read also: School calendar 2022/2023: Start of the school year, tests and exams
Insurance only covers expenses not reimbursed by the SNS
If your child is covered by insurance and the accident is considered a school accident, insurance covers all expenses not covered by social and health protection systems, subsystems and insurance that students are beneficiaries, such as the National Health System. the following expenses are covered:Medical and medication assistance;Student transportation at the time of the accident;Accommodation and food essential to guarantee assistance. claims, these will be paid by the insurance.
Activate school insurance
If your child is covered by insurance and you believe he or she has had a school accident, must participate as soon as possible, through the application provided by the school. However, if the accident occurs inside the school, it will be the school that will directly trigger the insurance. must attach the medical report, budgets or proof of expenses and any examinations you make concerning the accident. In the event that the accident is justifiably a school accident, the Refund is made within 24 hours. But in the event that it is necessary to justify the same, the reimbursement may take up to 20 days and if there is a need to carry out a medical board then the reimbursement may take up to 4 weeks.
Are all school age children covered by school insurance?
Thus, according to the aforementioned ordinance, school insurance covers:Children enrolled and attending public kindergartens;Students attending primary and secondary education in the public and private and cooperative networks if under an association contract, including professional and artistic education;Students in recurrent education courses and extra-school education carried out on the initiative or with the collaboration of the Ministry of Education; Pre-school and basic education children who attend socio-educational activities, organized by parents’ associations or municipalities, but provided that they take place in educational establishments; Young people from basic or secondary education who attend internships or develop training experiences in a work context; Students when participating in school sports competitions in Portugal; young people and children during leisure activities, but whose organization is the responsibility of the school during the period of holidays;Students who travel abroad, as part of study visits, exchange projects mbio and sports competitions within the scope of school sports.
Are all accidents on the school-home journey covered?
In fact, they are only covered if the student is moving on foot or in non-motorized vehicles, such as a bicycle, scooter, and skateboard and a third party is not responsible for the accident. In the case of your child be run over You will only be covered by school insurance if: The responsibility is your child Your child is a minor and is not accompanied by an adultOccurs on the home-school journey before or after classes and for as long as necessary to make the journey on footWithin 15 days the accident is reported to the authorities
Excluded situations such as school accident
As with all insurance there are exclusionsnamely, student illnesses (prophylaxis and treatment) except for the first visit to the health unit, as well as accidents: which happen inside the school when it is closed, result from activities whose organization is not the responsibility of the school; originating in cataclysms , riots or disorder; during the school-home journey in motor vehicles that transport the student or are driven by the student; in school transport
School accident situations that can generate doubts
There are indeed some events that can raise doubts to parents whether or not they are considered school accidents and whether may or may not be covered by insurance.Let’s look at some examples:
broken glasses
If your child wears glasses, they may have already broken them at school during recess. O insurance only covers your payment if there is a school accident if there is an injury or if he is injured by breaking them.
Broken arm
If in PE class or breaks your child falls and breaks an arm clearly has an injury. So, the expenses are covered by school insurance.
broken cell phone
If your child breaks his cell phone while running to school don’t count on being covered by school insurance despite being increasingly an academic instrument in many classes.
burn in the laboratory
Like a broken arm, a burn is an injury and, as such, is covered by insurance.
Can I choose the hospital where my child will receive treatment?
Not. In the event of an accident, your child will be taken to a National Health Service hospital.. If you want to take him to a private hospital, the expense will not be covered by the school insurance, unless the school has specific insurance with that hospital (as is the case with some private schools). cycle? what to prepare