Starting July 1, Uzbekistan will introduce a new system for paying sick leave benefits, the press service of the National Agency for Social Protection said in a statement.
Under the new regulations, the sick leave will now be partially funded by the State Social Insurance Fund. Specifically, the employer will cover the cost of the first five days of sick leave within a single calendar year. From the sixth day onward, payments will be disbursed directly from the State Social Insurance Fund. Prior to this reform, employers were entirely responsible for bearing these expenses.
The amount of sick leave compensation will be tied to an individual's insurance contribution history (employment track record). Employees with an insurance track record ranging from 6 months to 8 years will receive 60% of their average salary, while those with more than 8 years of history will be entitled to 80%.
The new framework also introduces enhanced social guarantees for childcare. Specifically, employees can receive paid benefits for an additional 20 calendar days to care for a sick child under the age of 14, and up to an additional 40 calendar days to care for a child with a disability under the age of 16.
One of the most defining aspects of this revamped system is the complete automation of all its operational workflows. Individuals will no longer need to submit formal applications or supply physical paperwork. As soon as a digital medical certificate (e-sick leave) is officially generated, the system automatically cross-references the individual's formal employment status, insurance history, and registered income to proactively disburse the benefit.
Disbursements will be managed via the unified "Baraka" digital payment infrastructure. A virtual card will be automatically generated for each eligible individual, into which the funds will be directly deposited.
The payment schedule for these disability benefits has also been explicitly structured:
Benefits approved between the 1st and 15th of the month will be paid out by the 25th of that same month.
Benefits approved between the 16th and 31st of the month will be paid out by the 10th of the following month.
This new procedure encompasses all workforce participants across both the public and private sectors, provided they are covered by mandatory state social insurance and possess a minimum insurance track record of six months.
"This automated system is strategically designed to safeguard individual incomes during periods of illness, alleviate the immediate financial overhead for employers, incentivize formal employment registration, and fundamentally solidify the social safety net across our country," the agency concluded.
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