Response to interpellation 2025/26:17 on processing times for sickness benefit
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns the processing times at Försäkringskassan. M argues that the processing times have decreased 1 and that the government has provided significant additional funding to strengthen core operations, reduce processing times, and combat benefit fraud 1 2. M emphasizes that investigations are necessary for legally secure payments 3 2 and that the sickness insurance should be secure for those who need it 4. M believes that gaps must be closed and criminal actors must be cleared out 4. S argues that it is unreasonable for people to have to wait a long time for sickness benefit 5 6 and that the appropriations were reduced during 2023 and 2024 5 7. S proposes a consequence analysis 6.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)
Mr. Speaker! Lena Johansson has asked me what measures I intend to take to shorten processing times for sickness benefit at Försäkringskassan and how I intend to ensure that people do not have to go into debt to manage everyday life when they are on sick leave.
When it comes to sickness benefit, the processing times at Försäkringskassan have decreased in recent years. The average processing time was 28 days in 2022, 26 days in 2023, 25 days in 2024, and 23 days during September 2025. Of course, there is a variation in processing time. For example, cases requiring special investigation take longer, which means that some insured individuals unfortunately may have to wait longer for their sickness benefit.
The Government has taken several measures to strengthen the Social Insurance Agency's core operations and address the long processing times. In the budget bill for 2025 (prop. 2024/25:1), the Social Insurance Agency received an additional allocation to the administrative budget of 820 million kronor. The Government also indicated that the allocation should increase by 801 million kronor for 2026 and 726 million kronor for 2027. In addition, the agency was reinforced with funds in both the spring and autumn supplementary budgets for 2024 (prop. 2023/24:99 and prop. 2024/25:2). These are the largest additions to the Social Insurance Agency since the beginning of the 2010s, which gives the Social Insurance Agency good conditions to work vigorously to reduce processing times, strengthen the service, and reduce incorrect payments and benefit fraud.
The Government has given Försäkringskassan a new goal in the regulatory letter for 2025 to reduce processing times and case backlogs. The Government also tasked Försäkringskassan with reporting on which measures have been taken to achieve this and to ensure that telephone availability is good and stable.
For the social insurance system to be and be perceived as credible, it is required that the benefits paid out reach the right person at the right time. People affected by illness must be able to rely on the sickness insurance and the support of society. The starting point is that the sickness insurance shall provide security to everyone who has reduced capacity for work due to illness.
The recession of recent years has been testing, and many have worried about their finances. The Government therefore proposes in the budget bill for 2026 (prop. 2025/26:1) a number of measures to strengthen Swedish households, for example, reduced electricity tax and cheaper food through a temporarily lowered food VAT.
The government's position is clear: processing times at Försäkringskassan shall decrease, accessibility shall increase, and the work against incorrect payments shall be strengthened. In order for us to achieve that, I have a close dialogue with Försäkringskassan's management to follow the developments in the matter.
Lena Johansson (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thanks to the Minister for the answer!
I meet many people who point out this issue with processing times. Many are from my constituency and from my home municipality Västerås.
For many, it takes significantly longer than 23 days. There are people who have to wait longer, as the minister pointed out, and it is primarily those who have reached out.
I went to the Försäkringskassan website and found this:
"Sometimes it can take some time before you receive your decision. If we need to conduct a more extensive investigation of your case, it may take a little longer."
If it has been more than 6 months since you applied for compensation, you can write to us and demand that we make a decision. In that case, we must make a decision within 4 weeks.
When we have all the information, we can make a decision in your case. If we do not have it, we will make a decision that it is not possible to decide in your case.
Many people I have met are naturally annoyed by these conditions. It is not the figures that are the big problem, but it is the consequences of waiting. People who talk to me tell me that they have to sell things. They have to take loans from friends and acquaintances and, in the end, even SMS loans. This becomes a concern in the long run for this person. It is not just that one is sick and feeling unwell, but one also has to come up with other solutions. This, therefore, has major consequences for people.
I am pleased that the government has now allocated more money. The problem is that during the years 2023 and 2024, the appropriations were reduced. As I understand it, Försäkringskassan also lost a lot of staff whom they were then unable to re-recruit. Perhaps the minister knows more about this, given that the minister is in dialogue with Försäkringskassan.
Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)
Mr. Speaker! Many thanks to the Member for this interpellation and for her speech here in the chamber, which I largely agree with. It is important that the payments are made to the right person, that they are the correct payments, and that they arrive at the right time – but there can also be complex cases that cause them to take longer.
In my opening remarks, I accounted for a number of measures that we have taken to shorten processing times. There is therefore no self-contained purpose in the fact that it is 23 days on average. It should also be said that some are much shorter, given that several are also longer. I nevertheless stated that the average processing time has decreased during this parliamentary term. It is still a good indication that it is heading in the right direction.
It is important that people can feel secure knowing that there is a safe and secure welfare system to lean on when needed. One prerequisite is that Försäkringskassan's payments are made in a legally secure and purposeful manner and that, in connection with an application for sickness benefit, the right to compensation is investigated and assessed to ensure that the money does not end up in the wrong hands. It is a solid assessment that is made.
I want to point out that the investigation also reduces the risk of future clawbacks. It is part of Försäkringskassan's mandate to ensure that it is easy to do the right thing, that incorrect payments are avoided to the greatest extent possible – not least to reduce the risk of benefit fraud – and that people should be able to receive the money as soon as possible after the investigation is completed.
In addition to the fact that we have allocated very large funds and that many more are now being recruited, the processing times have decreased throughout the entire mandate period. I am also hopeful in other respects. Let me just mention that Försäkringskassan during 2024 has worked with its digital business development to secure the operation of IT support on a modern technical platform.
Sickness benefit is one of the benefits that has been subject to development and implementation in the new platform. The authority has changed the technical platform specifically for sickness benefit. The benefits that are subject to this more modern platform also have greater opportunities when it comes to working with continuous improvements of the processing systems.
It is the case that the first decision is processed manually. The platform change that was carried out in 2024 has increased the possibilities for machine processing in certain parts of the case, and the development is being made continuously. This makes the whole process more efficient and it will be able to go much faster.
This, however, assumes that all information has been filled in correctly from the beginning and that it is there. We are also working on sharing information, not least between authorities, so that it can be there in a somewhat simpler way from the start. This simplifies things for the individual by making the processing faster and by reducing the risk of an incorrect payment that will later have to be reclaimed. That is also a problem.
Lena Johansson (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister.
I agree when it comes to the measures. There are no problems with that. But if you listen to what is being said inside Försäkringskassan, you get a slightly different version of the whole thing.
I found a very good article in ST's trade union newspaper Publikt where ST's branch chairman Thomas Åding speaks out. He talks about how people work and toil, but that a jerkiness in the pay raises has created stress. I would very much like to hear if the minister has any comment or reflection regarding this.
It is also interesting to hear the area manager Andreas Stjernberg state in the same article that they have long not had money to recruit and that this has led to high balances and that this does not come as any surprise. The government therefore knew about this but still prioritized down the appropriations both in 2023 and 2024. Now the minister speaks of 2025 being better, that the agency will receive more money and that recruitment is underway. However, it will take time before the effects arrive, and this is precisely the core of the problem.
Politics can be short-sighted, and resources have been cut as the pressure has increased. When one finally tries to rectify this, it is the sick who have to wait – especially those who have long processing times and do not average out over these 23 days.
I do not think that people who are waiting for sickness benefit care about which proposition the appropriations are in. They just want to get their compensation so they can pay their rent, electricity bill, and food.
As I understand it, Försäkringskassan has also received an additional assignment concerning CSN. They are to determine SGI when it comes to CSN. Between April and September this year, 26,000 people have applied. It is clear that if one receives new assignments, the money must naturally be sufficient for those as well.
I am still worried about those who have long processing times. Does the Minister have any short-term solution for the long waiting time for those people? Because if one has no money and cannot pay the rent or the electricity, it doesn't matter if the food VAT is lowered.
Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)
Mr. Speaker! I feel that the interpellator and I share a common view in many respects on how the situation is and how important it is that the sickness insurance functions, as well as that processing times should be kept down as much as possible. It is important that society is there when one becomes ill so that one can feel secure with this support.
When it comes to the long processing times for the more complicated cases, where perhaps not all information was filled in completely correctly from the start, it is still important that processing times are kept down as much as possible and that there is a quick feedback regarding supplementation. It is also important that we work proactively when it comes to benefit crime. For that very reason, these investigations need to be very robust, because these are complex setups when it involves organized crime and not least gang criminals who try to acquire funds that they definitely do not have the right to. The funds should go to those who need it – to those who have become ill and who should feel that security is there. It is not least for the legitimacy of our welfare system as such that it is very important that this is done in a correct and proper way.
That is why it becomes, so to speak, a balancing act between measures – ensuring that it is done correctly and properly, that the money is received on time and that the information is correct – and that the money does not end up in criminals' pockets. At the same time, we must, of course, ensure that those who are in need of help and support and have become ill receive it.
We are working on both fronts. We have, just as the interpellator says, given Försäkringskassan more assignments. At the same time, we have also sent along plenty of money, because we in this government finance our prioritized areas and our reforms, unlike previous governments.
Just as the interpellor has pointed out several times, we have indeed allocated significant resource supplements to Försäkringskassan now – both for the current year and for coming years – which means that the conditions are in place. One obviously also has the conditions to not only recruit many new case workers but also to work in the long term.
In our regulatory letter, the priority areas are very clear: processing times must be kept down, the quality must be high, one must ensure that the correct payment is made to the right person, and one must combat grant-related crime. Our prioritization is therefore completely clear, and we now see that processing times have decreased throughout the entire mandate period.
There may be periods when processing times spike because different things occur in our society. The pandemic is one example, but we have also seen other parts that affect certain benefits and cause a peak. In those cases, it is a matter of reprioritizing, and we have seen that at Försäkringskassan. People go in and work overtime to cut the queues or the long processing times. In that regard, I think Försäkringskassan has worked very proactively and also prioritized in accordance with the requests that have existed – not least from those who are ill and in need of help and support.
Lena Johansson (S)
Mr. Speaker! I agree with the Minister that we need to ensure that the right people receive money, but I also think it is unreasonable that some people are actually allowed to wait so long. It is unreasonable. I do not know how they manage their daily lives and what the consequences might be for those who are on long-term sick leave.
Many people have reached out and pointed this out, and I think it is an issue that one must find a solution to. It is ultimately about safety. The Minister was also slightly on this regarding a society that functions when people do not. If one becomes ill, the society must function.
The government says that processing times are to decrease, and obviously the average times have done so, even if I would say that the processing times for the special cases are unreasonably long. But one must find solutions to the problem. If there are long processing times, what do we do with people's everyday lives and their finances? Perhaps some form of impact assessment needs to be conducted to look at how many people it concerns, how long the processing times are, and if there are other supports and opportunities during that time.
People are not numbers in an Excel sheet. I know that the minister does not think that either; that is not what I mean. But there should be an opportunity to help these people in some way, and I hope that the minister and I agree on that.
Äldre- och socialförsäkringsministern Anna Tenje (M)
Mr. Speaker! I would like to once again express a big thank you to the member for a very good debate and discussion. I think we have a great consensus regarding these important issues.
Just as the member says, the health insurance should be there for those who truly need it. It should feel secure and safe, and one should be able to receive compensation in a timely manner when it is needed. We also need to ensure that we plug the holes and clear out the criminal actors and the organized crime that unfortunately has made its way into our social insurances. Our common tax money should not end up in the criminals' pockets.
In recent times, we have provided large, powerful resource supplements to Försäkringskassan, Mr. Speaker, precisely so that it can keep down processing times and manage the caseload. This has resulted in new hires and in a digital transition that will make it easy to do the right thing. It has also resulted in our ability to find those who wish to acquire our funds in an incorrect manner. The sickness insurance shall, however, be available in a secure and safe way for those who are ill and in need of it.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.