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To whom must I give my sick leave when I want to make a break in the FCT payments? And is such a break also possible without sick leave?
Simon

Hi Simon,

In reply to your question:

If you need to interrupt (suspend) your FCT fellowship due to illness, you need to obtain a document from a medical doctor / hospital in Portugal stating that you are sick and for that reason you need to suspend your work activities for X weeks/months, etc. In Portugal, the expression used for sick leave is "baixa médica".

Once you have the document of the "baixa médica", you need to send it to FCT and, naturally, also inform your supersivor(s) and research institution / university of your sick leave.
FCT will then interrupt the payments of your fellowship until you send a new medical document stating that you are once again able to work, so that the fellowship can be restarted.

I see that you understand that FCT won't pay you anything during sick leave.
However, if you have made payments to the Social Security in Portugal for at least 6 months, by paying, for example, the "Seguro Social Voluntário" (SSV), you may be entitled to some health benefits ("subsidio de doença") during your illness. However, the value of the "subsidio de doença" paid by the SSV is usually quite low (less than 300 Euros per month).

In reply to your second question:
Yes, it is possible to interrupt (suspend) your FCT fellowship for reasons other than sickness. In such cases, the "bolseiro" needs to send to FCT a letter requesting the interruption of the fellowship, with an explanation of why the fellowship and the research work needs to be suspended. This request also needs to include letters of support from the supervisor(s) and the research institution / university where the "bolseiro" works. In the past, FCT has allowed the "suspensão da bolsa" for a period of up to one year. Longer interruptions of the fellowships are usually not allowed, with the exception of cases related to sick leave.

With best wishes,
Susana

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Susana Neves

Simon Escreveu:To whom must I give my sick leave when I want to make a break in the FCT payments? And is such a break also possible without sick leave?
Simon