Course stays abroad for children with rare congenital conditions
Helfo can reimburse expenses for attending courses or meetings abroad for children with rare congenital conditions. This applies in cases where there is no resource centre or specialist community with experience of the diagnosis/condition concerned in Norway. If the service is available in Norway, this service must be used.
Illustration: Morten Rakke / Helfo
Who can have their expenses covered?
Helfo can cover expenses for children with rare congenital conditions, and their parents and siblings.
That the child has a rare congenital condition means that there must be fewer than 2,500 people in Norway with the condition. Find out more about rare medical conditions (in Norwegian only).
Helfo can cover expenses for the following:
- Children with rare congenital conditions. Helfo can also cover expenses for persons over the age of 18 if they have a rare congenital condition.
- Parents / next of kin to children with rare congenital conditions.
- Siblings, if there is a programme or service for siblings at the course centre.
- An escort, if other parents must accompany the child in addition to the parents.
- More than one escort when a doctor has declared this to be necessary. You must obtain this declaration for each trip.
- An assistant who is involved in the daily provision of support, if it is necessary for the assistant to participate to complete the course/meeting. Helfo does not cover expenses for an assistant who will attend the course solely to receive essential training to follow up the day-to-day training after the course.
Helfo does not cover expenses for other relatives, childminders or relief workers, unless they are participating as essential escorts.
Example
Pia is ten years old and has Marshall-Smith syndrome. Her parents need to learn more about her condition. Pia and his parents can have their expenses for the course stay covered. In addition, the family can also have their expenses for Pia’s older brother covered, as provision is made for siblings at the course centre. Pia does not need any other escorts.
What expenses can you have covered?
Helfo can reimburse expenses for courses/meetings when the purpose is for the parents/guardians to learn more about how the child with the rare condition must be treated in their everyday lives, and to give the family and child a chance to meet other people in the same situation.
Helfo can cover essential expenses for:
- travel and accommodation
- participant fees
- subsistence based on receipts (or at the applicable rates if expenses cannot be documented through receipts)
- visas (not passports/electronic passports)
It is a condition for reimbursement that the child travels/receives the treatment.
The general rule is that Helfo does not provide support for the same type of course/stay in consecutive years. Your expenses for courses/meetings which have been covered previously will only be covered if the child’s life situation has changed. An example of a change in life situation is the transition from child to adult or new research which makes it important to acquire new knowledge.
Example
Pia’s parents find out that they can have their expenses for travel and accommodation, participant fees and subsistence covered.
You must find a treatment centre yourself
Helfo does not have a list of course providers. You must find a course abroad and present this information to Helfo.
The information must state the following:
- the course you wish to attend
- the course programme
- the cost of the course
The application will be assessed individually. The courses that are relevant for you will depend on the child’s condition.
Example
Pia’s parents find a course in Belgium which can help them to better meet Pia's needs.
Apply for prior authorisation or an advance payment
You can apply for prior authorisation or an advance payment to cover your expenses in connection with the course.
It is essential to apply for prior authorisation or an advance payment well in advance of the trip. It generally takes up to eight weeks to process cases.
See the documentation requirements in Step 5 and information about submitting the application in Step 6.
You must notify Helfo if you have received an advance payment but are unable to travel after all. You will then have to repay the advance.
Example
Pia’s parents need an advance payment to cover the travel and accommodation. They send an application well in advance of the trip.
Remember documentation!
The documentation you will need to obtain is listed below.
You will need the following documentation to apply for prior authorisation or an advance payment:
- a written statement from a resource centre or hospital in Norway documenting that no courses are available for the rare diagnosis/condition in Norway or any other Nordic country (you will need a new statement for each journey)
- medical certificate documenting the child’s congenital condition (you will not need to obtain a new certificate every time you apply)
- alternatively, a declaration that more than one escort will need to accompany the child (you will need a new declaration for each journey)
- information about the course, documentation of the medical programme and course costs
- documentation of your anticipated essential expenses for travel and accommodation – include documentation (for example, a screenshot of the course fee and prices for flight tickets and hotel accommodation)
- documentation of your anticipated essential expenses for subsistence – use the rate for meals of NOK 275 (2025) per day per person
After the trip, you must submit a reimbursement application, regardless of whether you received prior approval or an advance payment. This is to document the actual expenses you incurred. You will need the following documentation:
- itemised receipts for expenses
- any documentation listed above that you have not already submitted to Helfo
Example
Pia's parents make sure to get the documentation they need. They obtain a medical statement from Pia’s GP which documents her condition. The resource centre also documents that no courses are available for Pia’s condition in either Norway or any other Nordic country. They also find documentation of what the travel and accommodation costs will be.
Submit your application
You must submit your application to Helfo by no later than 30 June in the year after that in which the course/meeting took place.
For details of the documentation requirements, see "Remember documentation!"
Log in to Helfo's digital form
Once your application has been processed by Helfo, you will be sent a decision.
Paper form
If you are unable to use the digital form, you can apply by sending the application to Helfo, Postboks 2415, 3104 Tønsberg.
For advance payment and prior authorisation, there is no paper form. Write a cover letter yourself with information about what you are applying for. Attach documentation.
For a reimbursement application, use the following form and include necessary documentation:
It is a good idea to take a picture (make a copy) of your original receipts before sending them to Helfo.
Example
Pia's parents send all the documentation to Helfo several weeks before departure, and they receive a decision granting an advance payment. Helfo pays the advance, allowing the parents to cover the cost of the trip. When they return home, they submit a reimbursement application and include receipts for all the expenses they incurred. They are reimbursed for any amount not already covered by the advance.
Guidance Helsenorge
If you have any questions, please call Guidance Helsenorge: +47 23 32 70 00
Case processing time and response to application
The processing time at Helfo for applications for children with rare congenital conditions is generally up to eight weeks.
Submitting additional documentation
Here you will find information on how to submit additional documentation.
For Helfo to process your application as quickly as possible, you must submit all documentation and receipts when submitting your application. If you however need to submit additional documentation, follow these steps after logging in to Altinn:
- Select “Tilleggsopplysninger til søknad/fullmakt” from the drop-down menu under “Hva gjelder innsending”/”Innsendingen gjelder”.
- Select “Etterspurt dokumentasjon” under “Tilleggsopplysninger”.
- Make sure to enter the reference number relating to your existing case. This will allow us to consider your case more quickly. The reference number will have the following format: “22/0000”.