The only thing that has helped Veronika D. so far is spending time in the radon-containing air of the healing tunnel in Bad Gastein. "After that I was completely symptom-free," says Veronika D. Apart from pigmentation disorders, the skin rash was gone - the joint complaints were also better, says Mrs Dampf. For a few months, then it slowly started again. Treatments with salt water, which her social insurance authorised, were of no use.
Authorisation would be sensible and necessary
Meanwhile, the rash on her foot is getting bigger and bigger. D. is afraid for her job: "My boss has already said that if the rash on my hands comes back, he'll have to sack me. But I like going to work!" She would need another period of rehab in Bad Gastein, but the PVA pension insurance won't authorise it. Veronika D. has therefore made an appointment with Ombudsman Bernhard Achitz in Graz, and the Ombudsman's Office is now examining the case. "It would be sensible and necessary for the PVA to approve the application and for Veronika D. to be treated in the Heilstollen again," says Achitz, who also discussed the case in the ORF programme "Bürgeranwalt" on 22 February. Unfortunately, nobody from the PVA wanted to discuss it in the studio.
The PVA is responsible for rehabilitation stays designed to alleviate the consequences of serious chronic illnesses. Achitz: "It would also make financial sense for the pension insurance fund to pay for rehabilitation. This would allow Mrs D. to work longer and not have to retire early - which would certainly be more expensive for the PVA. As is so often the case, the same applies here: Preventing illness early is cheaper for the entire social security system than the subsequent costs."
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