Applying for family hospice leave to care for a dying or seriously ill person

Residents

Non residents

Family hospice leave for nursing a dying or seriously ill person can be applied for by all working people if they have a family member in the terminal phase of a serious illness.

Who is concerned

Family hospice leave for nursing a dying or seriously ill person may be requested by any person who has:

a first-degree relative in ascending or descending line (mother/father, mother/father in law, daughter/son or daughter/son in law) in the terminal phase of a serious illness;
a second degree relative in collateral line (sister/brother, sister/brother in law) in the terminal phase of a serious illness;
his/her spouse (wife/husband) or partner (legally recognised) in the terminal phase of a serious illness.

How to proceed

Submitting the application for family hospice leave

Applicants are required to inform, either in person or via an intermediary (orally or in writing - fax, email or text message), their employer on the first day of absence at the latest.

Moreover, applicants have to send the following to the CNS (National Health Fund):

the duly completed application form for family hospice leave;
the certificate granting family hospice leave issued by the treating doctor;
if the dying person has no national identification number in Luxembourg (13-digit social security number - matricule), a copy of the birth certificate, of the family record book or of an identity document.

Granting family hospice leave

After having checked that the conditions for granting the leave are met, the CNS confirms the leave by sending a 'carnet d’accompagnement' (family leave booklet) to the address indicated by the applicant on the application form for the leave.

This booklet includes:

a set of forms entitled: justificatif d'absence pour congé d'accompagnement (justification of absence for family hospice leave);
individual labels to be affixed on the forms, each one representing a credit of one hour of family hospice leave.

Only a single family leave booklet will be issued and made available to all of the beneficiaries who are requesting family hospice leave.

At the time the leave is taken, each form "justification of absence for family hospice leave" must be completed by affixing on the back the number of labels corresponding to the number of hours of declared family hospice leave.

The completed justification of absence form must then be given to the employer.

Duration of family hospice leave

The duration of family hospice leave cannot exceed 5 working days (or 40 hours) per dying relative per year and ends on the date of the person's death.

Family hospice leave may be split up into several periods and may also be taken on a part-time basis in agreement with the employer.

Two persons can share the family hospice leave granted but its total duration cannot exceed 40 hours.

Employees in part-time contracts are also entitled to a maximum of 40 hours family hospice leave.

Family hospice leave and the working relationship

Fixed-term employment contracts

A salaried worker with a fixed-term employment contract (CDD) is entitled to family hospice leave.

If the fixed-term employment contract ends during the period of family hospice leave, the family hospice leave measure also ends.

Trial period

Employees in their trial period are also entitled to family hospice leave. However, the trial period is extended for a period equal to the duration of the leave.

Protection against dismissal and end of the employment contract

The family hospice leave period is considered as a period of incapacity for work because of illness or accident.

During this time, the legal provisions in matters of social security and protection against dismissal continue to apply to the beneficiaries.

Hence, employers who have been informed on the day of the salaried worker's absence for reasons of family hospice leave are not allowed to notify their employee of the termination with notice of their work contract or to summon them to the pre-dismissal interview.

The termination of a contract in violation with the aforementioned provisions is considered abusive and gives rise to the payment of damages.

However, this protection does not apply if:

the beneficiary did not inform their employer from their first day of absence;
the notification of absence is made after the reception of the letter of dismissal or of the summons to the pre-dismissal interview;
the beneficiary was guilty of serious misconduct.

Any dispute between the employer and a salaried worker relating to family hospice leave is under the jurisdiction of the labour tribunals.