New online form for submitting medical statements in guardianship cases

When the Digital and Population Data Services Agency receives a notification of a person in need of guardianship, it requires a medical statement to assess the need for guardianship. To that end, healthcare units can now submit medical statements to the Agency via an online form. This speeds up processing as data is transferred directly into the system.

Through a new online form, a healthcare unit can submit a medical statement or other additional information that the Digital and Population Data Services Agency has requested for the processing of a guardianship case. Thanks to the form, data is transferred directly into the system, which streamlines and speeds up the processing.

You can find the online form in Finnish at dvv.fi/laakarinlausunto. Clicking the link will take you directly to identification, after which the form will open. 

Using the form is free of charge. It does not alter a doctor's work or require any system modifications. 

Why is a medical statement required?

A medical statement helps assess whether it is necessary to appoint a guardian or confirm a continuing power of attorney. Depending on the case, a district court may also carry out the assessment, in addition to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

When processing a continuing power of attorney, we may request a medical statement from a doctor on the granter's ability to carry out legal acts. This helps us determine whether the granter was able to understand the significance of the continuing power of attorney when preparing the document.

Medical statement submission is different for confirming a continuing power of attorney and for appointing a guardian

The submission method of the medical statement varies depending on whether it concerns the appointment of a guardian or a continuing power of attorney. 

Continuing power of attorney

When a continuing power of attorney has to be activated, i.e. confirmed, the attorney personally submits the medical statement as an attachment to the application to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. In other words, the doctor should give the medical statement to the attorney.

Application for the appointment of a guardian

Also in cases where a person applies for a guardian for themselves, they submit a medical statement as an attachment to their application to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. 

Notification of a person in need of guardianship

When someone notifies the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of a person in need of guardianship, the Agency requests a medical statement from the wellbeing services county where the municipality of residence of the subject of the notification is located. In this case, the healthcare unit submits the statement directly to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

If it is necessary to submit the medical statement to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency separately from the application, private individuals or private healthcare units may also use the online form to submit the medical statement. In this case, they must know the relevant register number when submitting the statement.