"Went home anyway"

Woman was supposed to stay in a cure even though her dad died

Not even the death of the father was reason enough for the PVA to allow a woman from Mostviertel to interrupt her treatment.(Bild: Groh Klemens)

Due to a bereavement, a 54-year-old woman left the sanatorium at short notice. However, because she had not waited for approval from the Pension Insurance Institution (PVA), the cure is now deemed to have been discontinued. 

The cure should actually have helped to alleviate the problems with her musculoskeletal system. However, the stay turned into a nightmare for a woman from Mostviertel (54). Just a few days after her arrival, she found out that her father was dying. "Of course, I really wanted to see him again, so I went home at the weekend after the last treatment," she told the Krone newspaper.

Late feedback
To do this, she had to submit a written request to the Pension Insurance Institution (PVA). However, as she did not receive a return email, she traveled back from the province of Salzburg. On Monday, she was told that she should not have done this - the trip home could not be approved.

"I had to organize a funeral"
It was to get even worse. Because before it was clear whether she would be allowed to return home for the second weekend, her father passed away. "Of course, I immediately packed my things and went home. The funeral and a lot more had to be organized," says the 54-year-old. The next day, she received another - albeit already superfluous - message from the PVA: the second weekend could not be approved either.

Not even the death of her father was reason enough for the PVA to allow a woman from Mostviertel to interrupt her treatment.(Bild: Groh Klemens)

I think it's terrible that there's no way out in such an exceptional situation.

Die Betroffene

"I then told them that it was invalid because I had to leave at short notice due to the death," the woman explains. When she then asked the facility days later whether she could continue her treatment, she was told that it had been canceled and that a new application would therefore be necessary. "I think it's terrible that there's no way out in such an exceptional situation," says the 54-year-old, stunned.

"Exceptions are possible"
The PVA refers to the General Social Insurance Act. According to this law, interruptions that include a full calendar day are generally not permitted during medical treatment. However, if there are reasons that are not self-inflicted, exceptions are possible in agreement with the PVA, they emphasize. If the interruption is approved, the treatment procedure can then be continued - otherwise a new application is required. Why an exception was not possible in this specific case could not be answered for formal reasons.