Coronavirus: extension of the ONEm/RVA protection premium

Since the beginning of this year, certain unemployed persons with low wages who are employed in compulsorily closed sectors can receive a premium from the ONEm/RVA, called the protection premium. The scope of this premium is now extended to hairdressers and other contact professions.

The protection premium

As a reminder, an employee is entitled to this single premium if he:

• has received more than 52 full and/or half temporary unemployment benefits for force majeure due to the coronavirus crisis or for economic reasons during the period from 1 March 2020 to 31 December 2020 inclusive;
• is employed on 1 March 2021 by an employer who is obliged to close on 1 March 2021 by government decision.

More information about this protection premium can be found in this Infoflash.

Extension of the scope

The scope of this premium is extended to employees employed by an employer with a NACE code 96021, 96022, 96040 or 96092 on 1 March 2021.

Source:

• Royal Decree of 9 June 2021 on relaxing the eligibility conditions and the conditions for taking a wage into account when determining the daily amount of unemployment benefits and amending the Royal Decree of 28 March 2021 on the granting of a single premium for temporarily unemployed persons with low wages, employed in a sector where activities had to be stopped by order of the authorities, Belgian Official Gazette of 18 June 2021.