Newsletter December

Kone’s Employee Benefit Fund for Operatives

Decisions from the Fund Meeting on 18 November 2025

At the autumn meeting of the Kone’s Employee Benefit Fund for Operatives, the following decisions were made:

  • Board representatives for 2026–2027
    The outgoing members Sami Impola and Olli Niemi, as well as deputy members Mikko Sarajärvi and Pekka Haukka-Aho, were re-elected.
    Vili Vuorinen was elected as a new deputy member to replace Miikka Ovaska.
  • Rule changes
    The proposed amendments by the Board were approved:
    • Section 14.6 (assistive devices): ergonomic-related devices, which can be reimbursed by the employer, are excluded.
    • Section 38: advance registration for fund meetings will be required (hybrid model allows remote participation).
    • Other proposed changes were approved, mainly clarifications in wording. More details can be found in the Board’s proposal attached to the meeting invitation.

The rules approved by the meeting will be sent to the Financial Supervisory Authority for approval and will take effect once approved. We will inform members when this happens.

Important information about claiming reimbursements at year-end

When applying for reimbursements in the Benefit Fund Iris system, please note:

  • Separate applications must be submitted for costs from 2025 and 2026.
    This ensures that reimbursement limits (e.g., dental care) remain separate and do not get mixed up. If costs from two different years are included in the same application, we must reject and ask you to resubmit.


Thank you for following these instructions – this helps us process claims faster and more accurately.

Reminder about physiotherapy reimbursements after the turn of the year

Kela reimbursement without a doctor’s referral: The first four physiotherapy sessions are eligible for Kela reimbursement without a referral.

  • Ask your physiotherapy provider if the Kela reimbursement can be deducted directly at the visit:
    • If it can be deducted, you can apply for reimbursement directly in Iris.
    • If not, apply for the reimbursement for the first four sessions in OmaKela.
  • After the first four Kela-reimbursed sessions, further physiotherapy reimbursements can be claimed in Iris.

Important temporary change in Mehiläinen’s billing in January 2026

Mehiläinen is updating its billing system during 2026. Please note for January 2026:
Due to the billing update, Mehiläinen cannot process deductible payment at its clinics during January. The deductible payment cannot be paid at the time of the visit; instead, Mehiläinen will send an invoice for the deductible either to the OmaMehiläinen app or by post to your home.
Mehiläinen apologizes for any inconvenience. We will inform you later when the billing update is complete and how it will affect payments for visits.

Insurance Fund website is being updated!

We have refreshed and clarified the structure and appearance of the Insurance Fund’s website. These changes improve usability and make it easier to find important information.

What’s new?

A clearer structure and minor visual updates.

A dedicated page for claiming reimbursements, including instructions and links.

An English version of the site is coming – you will be able to switch to English via a button.
Note: English translations are still in progress; we will notify you when they are ready.

Please note that pages may occasionally be incomplete during updates. We will inform you once the site is fully updated and published.

Thank you for following the updates and making use of the new features!

The Insurance Fund thanks all members for this year and wishes everyone a Happy New Year!