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With the circular dated 4 September 2026, n. 92, edited by the Central Directorate of Social Safety and the General Medical-Legal Coordination, the Institute has introduced new indications for the recognition of the social security benefit for illness, with the aim of guaranteeing greater protection for workers due to the changed social and healthcare context.
The circular confirms the general principle according to which the illness event starts from the date of issue of the medical certificate. However, starting from the date of publication, social security protection can also be recognized for the day immediately preceding the issue of the certificate, when the doctor certifies that the illness began the day before the outpatient or home visit.
The innovation takes into account the difficulties that today can make carrying out a medical examination not always immediate, due to the progressive reduction of general practitioners, the increase in workloads and the organizational methods adopted in local healthcare. For this reason the Institute, in agreement with the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, has updated the previous application orientation to ensure more uniform and effective protection throughout the national territory.
«This innovation, long awaited by workers and the social partners, goes in the direction of a systemic simplification that the Institute pursues with conviction», states Valeria Vittimberga, General Director of INPS. «It is not just a technical-procedural adjustment, but a concrete response to the transformations that local assistance is going through in our country. Recognizing protection even on the day immediately preceding the issuing of the certificate, when the organizational circumstances justify it, means placing the real worker at the center of our procedures, without penalizing him for difficulties that do not depend on his will. It is the concrete demonstration of what we like to define as a friendly public administration: an institution that does not limit itself to applying the rules, but constantly adapts them to the needs of the people it represents”.
Recognition of the previous day is possible both in the case of a home visit and an outpatient visit, as long as the day considered does not coincide with a midweek holiday and does not fall on a Saturday or Sunday, situations in which continuity of care is guaranteed. Furthermore, the maximum limits of compensation provided for by current legislation remain unchanged.
The measure therefore strengthens the protection of workers who, despite falling ill on a given day, manage to obtain a medical examination and the related certification only the following day for organizational or welfare reasons beyond their control.
For further information, please refer to circular no. 92 of 4 September 2026.