[2 years and 4 months] Recovering while receiving benefits | Injury and Sickness Allowance to Vocational Training | Panic Disorder

I developed panic disorder while my head was full every day with work, housework, and childcare.

Because my symptoms were not improving, I decided to quit my job. Since we were a dual-income couple, I felt guilty about having my husband support the household alone, but we discussed it and decided I would resign.

However, as a result, I was able to live without my income being interrupted even after resigning.

This is because I received the Injury and Sickness Allowance at the same time I resigned.

Now that my Injury and Sickness Allowance has ended, I have switched to unemployment benefits (employment insurance) and am undergoing vocational training.

Injury and Sickness Allowance (started receiving on the day of resignation) 1 year and 6 months
Unemployment benefits 4 months
Vocational training 6 months -> Now here

Since unemployment benefits continue until vocational training ends, I will end up receiving benefits for a total of 2 years and 4 months. I have not worked a single day since resigning.

Today, I have summarized the procedures I followed for those who are considering receiving the Injury and Sickness Allowance after resigning.

This is far from my usual talk about panic disorder countermeasures. It has become very long (about 4,800 characters), so please refer to the table of contents and only look at what you need.

As a prerequisite, a medical certificate from a doctor is required, so you must have already had your first visit at a psychosomatic clinic in advance.

Requirements for benefits, etc., are always changing, so I recommend checking with each office in advance if you intend to use them. This post is written based on information as of the end of April 2026.

What is the Injury and Sickness Allowance? Requirements for receipt

The Injury and Sickness Allowance is an allowance paid by health insurance when you become unable to work due to illness or injury.

The main requirements and details of the payment are as follows.
As a prerequisite, you must be an insured person of your company's health insurance (those enrolled in National Health Insurance are not eligible).

The payment amount and period are:
・Payment amount: Approximately 2/3 of the standard daily remuneration
・Payment period: Maximum 1 year and 6 months

Furthermore, if you meet the following requirements, you can receive payments after resigning (after losing your employment insurance eligibility).

Also, since a doctor's medical certificate is required on the prescribed form while receiving the allowance, you will need to visit the hospital at least once a month.

While on leave, the company handles the paperwork, but after resignation, you must send the documents to the health insurance association (in my case, Kyokai Kenpo) yourself.

How I received the Injury and Sickness Allowance immediately upon resignation

I wanted to receive as much of my salary as possible before resigning, so I consulted with the labor and social security attorney at my workplace. My supervisor also encouraged me to 'go ahead and consult with them,' and I feel I was blessed with a supportive environment.

I was told that the three-day waiting period required by the criteria can include weekends and holidays without any issues. I worked a standard calendar-based schedule, but I was told that was fine.

It just so happened that there was a long weekend at the time I decided to resign, so it worked out this way.

Waiting period day 1: Saturday
Waiting period day 2: Sunday
Waiting period day 3: Monday (public holiday)
Day 4: Tuesday (weekday, day of absence and resignation date) -> Payment start date

Once the waiting period ends, payments begin from the fourth day. I was told by the labor and social security attorney that I needed to be absent on my resignation date to qualify for the benefits.

In this way, I was able to receive the allowance immediately after resigning without any gap. Because my income did not stop, I was able to resign and focus on my recovery with peace of mind, without worrying about money.

Procedures performed from resignation to Injury and Sickness Allowance to vocational training

1. Switch to National Health Insurance and National Pension at the municipal office (within 14 days after resignation)

Procedures must be completed within 14 days of resignation. It is a good idea to inquire with the municipal office in advance about what you need to bring.

2. Apply for an 'extension of the benefit period for employment insurance' at Hello Work (generally within 1 month after resignation)

Normally, you would apply for unemployment benefits at Hello Work immediately, but if you are receiving the Injury and Sickness Allowance, applying for an extension allows you to delay receiving unemployment benefits until after the Injury and Sickness Allowance ends. I checked with Hello Work before I resigned and had them mail me the necessary documents.

3. Have the clinic write the documents required for the Injury and Sickness Allowance application and send them to my former company

The company submits the very first Injury and Sickness Allowance application form to Kyokai Kenpo. I believe I had informed the company in advance of the first day I would visit the clinic after my resignation date (the day I could arrange the documents).

Once the documents were ready, I sent them to the company, and after the company submitted them to Kyokai Kenpo, I received my first payment. This was my final interaction with the company.

4. Send the second and subsequent Injury and Sickness Allowance application forms to Kyokai Kenpo yourself

The company taught me carefully, and there are examples on the website, and I was also able to call to ask about any points I didn't understand.

Although it was a hassle to print out blank forms and fill them out by hand every time, the task itself was not difficult.

At the clinic, I was told to come in once a month for the Injury and Sickness Allowance documents. I couldn't receive the documents on the spot, and I could only receive the current month's documents the following month, so the process was to pick up the documents I had requested previously during my next visit.

Therefore, I would prepare other documents and envelopes when visiting the hospital, and on my way home, I would bundle the documents and mail them to Kyokai Kenpo via the post office using 'specified record' mail (the cheapest option that provides a record of delivery).

5. Cancellation of 'Application for Extension of Unemployment Insurance Benefit Period' at Hello Work

I performed this procedure to switch to receiving unemployment benefits at the time my Injury and Sickness Allowance expired.

It is also reassuring to check this with Hello Work in advance. In my case, a list of necessary items for the cancellation was enclosed during step 2.

6. National Health Insurance reduction procedure at the municipal office

This is a system where insurance premiums can be reduced in cases of bankruptcy, dismissal, or voluntary resignation due to illness, etc. If you have been living on the Injury and Sickness Allowance for 1 year and 6 months, your insurance premiums may be eligible for a reduction, so it is a good idea to inquire at the municipal office to confirm.

I will talk about this later.

7. Application for vocational training

Since it seems necessary to have remaining designated benefit days to apply for vocational training, you may not be able to complete the procedure if your application timing is too late.

I never understood how to calculate it, so every time I went to Hello Work, I would ask at the counter by when I needed to apply to be safe.

There may not always be a course you want, so it is good to keep checking.

The 'Employment-Challenged' status that increases unemployment benefit payments

People who have extreme difficulty finding re-employment due to disabilities or social circumstancesare eligible for preferential treatment, such as an increase in the designated number of days for unemployment benefits (days paid).

This applies to holders of disability certificates and those who have a doctor's opinion letter for certain mental illnesses.

I wondered about panic disorder, so I asked, and was told that mental illnesses qualify if 'a doctor recognizes it as depression, schizophrenia, or other similar disorders.'

I thought I probably didn't have depression, but I talked to my regular doctor about this.

As expected, they said I didn't have depressive symptoms and that since it was panic disorder, I couldn't apply.

If you have been diagnosed with depression, applying for the necessary documents such as an opinion letter could increase your designated benefit days, potentially extending your period of not working even longer than mine.

While monthly job-seeking activities are required, you can delay working a little longer, so I think it is a good idea to check with Hello Work if necessary.

The benefits of applying for a reduction in National Health Insurance

You can apply for a reduction in National Health Insurance premiums at the time you switch from the Injury and Sickness Allowance to unemployment benefits.

Since you need the "Certificate of Eligibility for Employment Insurance" or "Notice of Eligibility for Employment Insurance" issued by Hello Work, I could not complete the procedure while receiving the Injury and Sickness Allowance.

As soon as I obtained this, I contacted the municipal office to confirm the procedure.

If the code number for the "reason for leaving" written on your eligibility certificate falls into the following categories, you are eligible for a reduction. Mine was 33. This applies even if you resigned for personal reasons, provided it was due to unavoidable circumstances such as illness.

Specified qualified recipient: 11, 12, 21, 22, 31, 32
Specified reason for separation: 23, 33, 34

I was relieved that my insurance premiums would finally be a little cheaper, but I was surprised to find that I even received a refund of nearly 200,000 yen because the amount I had paid until then was considered too high.

It seems the municipal office only realized this after I went through the reduction procedure, so it sends shivers down my spine to think what would have happened if I hadn't done it...

(Postscript)
A kind person who read my post left a comment asking, "Did you check for a reduction in resident tax?"

In my area, this is only available to those receiving public assistance or those affected by disasters, so it did not apply to me. It seems to vary by municipality, so I recommend checking with your local office. Also, there is a "special exemption due to unemployment, etc." system for the National Pension. I chose to continue paying, but you should make use of what is available according to your physical condition and circumstances!

Summary of procedures I performed

① Switch to National Health Insurance and National Pension at the municipal office (within 14 days of resignation)
② Apply for "extension of the benefit period for employment insurance" at Hello Work (within 1 month of resignation)
③ Have the doctor at the psychosomatic clinic fill out the documents required for the Injury and Sickness Allowance application and send them to the company
④ Send documents for the second and subsequent Injury and Sickness Allowance applications to Kyokai Kenpo (Japan Health Insurance Association) yourself
⑤ Cancel the "application for extension of the benefit period for employment insurance" at Hello Work
⑥ Apply for a reduction in National Health Insurance at the municipal office
⑦ Apply for vocational training

Things I thought were reassuring to have

・A certain amount of savings
My income dropped to two-thirds, and I still had to pay pension, resident tax, and national health insurance, so the high payment slips were a shock. For better or worse, I had several months' worth of living expenses saved up as compensation for breaking my body, so I was able to endure it. I realized that it is necessary to save up a certain amount of living expenses while you are healthy.

・An environment where you can receive a retirement allowance
I worked as a full-time employee for many years, so I received a retirement allowance. This also became a source of peace of mind during my recuperation.

・Having family members with other income
My husband was working, so I felt that even if something happened, the rent and living expenses would be okay. However, since we had been a two-income household until now, I feel that it puts pressure on my husband, so I feel I shouldn't rely on him entirely.

I have resigned myself to the fact that if it comes to it, I can just move to a place with cheaper rent or change my environment. In reality, I know there would be inconveniences like a longer commute to work or my child's school, but that is the mindset I have.

My state of mind two years after resigning

At first, I thought I would get better about six months after resigning. But now, two years later, I cannot say that I have fully recovered.

Even so, during this period, I was able to face my panic disorder and organize my life, so I am glad I took the plunge and resigned. I can do more things now, and I find myself becoming more positive.

Before I resigned, I had a lot of anxiety and confusion, but I don't have that now. It might be because I had time to face things one by one, or simply because the burden on me has become lighter.

Thinking about a lot of things is exhausting both mentally and physically, so I realized it is necessary to increase the number of things I don't do and lighten the burden on my head.

Vocational training is not easy, and I find the studying to be more difficult than I expected. The feeling of "being on break" has disappeared, but I am doing my best, thinking of it as a rehearsal for when I work someday.

I hope that by this winter, I will be working safely somewhere.

I am tackling my panic disorder from five different angles. As part of one of these, 'managing mental burden,' I shared my experience this time of securing a recovery period by utilizing the Injury and Sickness Allowance.
I have written in detail about the other four pillars in this article.

If you found this helpful or relatable, I would be happy if you could press the 'Like' button. May we increase our moments of peace, even if just a little, together!