European Patent Office

1. European Patent Office The European Patent Office Serving industry and the public EPO- Staff Committee

2. Long Term Care Insurance European patent Office b_05/03_1 EPO- Staff Committee

3. Overview • Compulsory or voluntary basis? • Procedure for determining the level of care • Benefits • Contributions • Conclusion EPO – Staff Committee

4. Compulsory or voluntary basis? • Persons covered by COMPULSORY insurance: • permanent employees • contract staff members (covered by the EPO social security) • former permanent employees receiving • an invalidity pension or • an outright retirement pension • dependent children • dependent children (orphan's) EPO – Staff Committee

5. Compulsory or voluntary basis? • Persons covered by VOLUNTARY insurance ( two categories): • Persons eligible for insurance by virtue of a decision of an insured employee (active or retired):spouses, former spouses entitled to personal maintenance, other persons entitled to maintenance. EPO – Staff Committee

6. Compulsory or voluntary basis? • Persons insured voluntarily on an individual basis:are those who wish to maintain insurance cover which may terminate (death of the insured person, resignation, etc..) EPO – Staff Committee

7. Level of care • The degree of reliance on long-term care • is assessed by examining the ability of • the insured person to take care of himself • independently and to perform certain • everyday and housekeeping activities, • with or without assistance, • help or care provided by a third person. EPO – Staff Committee

8. Level of care • Procedure: • Criteria for assessing reliance on long-term care • Definition of activities and ability to perform them • Time allocation for activities in each category • Overall assessment and final recommendation EPO – Staff Committee

9. Level of care Criteria for assessing reliance EPO – Staff Committee

10. Level of care • The 11 physical and mental activities • as defined are divided into three categories: • Basic activities of everyday life (mobility, dressing, washing, eating and drinking, use of WC) • Cognitive capacity(daily life without supervision, communication) • Basic housekeeping activities(preparing meals, cleaning, washing/ironing, shopping) EPO – Staff Committee

11. Level of care • Time allocation for activities in each • Category (example): EPO – Staff Committee

12. Level of care • Overall assessment and • final recommendation: • High : help in at least 3 of the 7 • activities mentioned in Categories 1-2 • Very High : help in at least 4 of the 7 • activities mentioned in Categories 1-2 • Total :help in at least 5 of the 7 • activities mentioned in Categories 1-2 EPO – Staff Committee

13. Benefits EPO – Staff Committee

14. Contributions • apportionment ratio of • Office Employee 2/3 : 1/3 • The total contribution rate has been setat 1.2% of basic salaries and pensions, ie 0.4%for the employees • Based on a reserve fund EPO – Staff Committee

15. Contributions : Examples • Permanent employee : • basic salary : € 4 600.31 • Contribution = 1/3 of 1.2% of € 4 600.31 = € 18.40 • Contract employee : • basic salary : € 4 600.31 • Contribution = 1/3 of 0.4% of € 4 600.31 = € 6.13 EPO – Staff Committee

16. Conclusion • Relatively new scheme introduced in July 2001 • Positive experience till now: • Budgetarily balanced • Managed within a paritary joint consultative committee (management/staff representation) • Requests treated rapidly • Currently 70 persons have benefited from it • Covers approximately 16.600 persons EPO – Staff Committee

17. Thank you for your attention European Patent Office European Patent Office Bayerstr. 34 / Zi. 4424 80335 Munich, Germany Tel. +49-89-2399-0 EPO- Staff Committee