How Mela Processes Personal Data in Insurance and Benefit Matters

Updated 13.10.2026

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives you the right to know how your personal data is used.

This privacy notice explains how Mela processes your personal data when handling:

MYEL insurance matters
MYEL pension matters
MATA insurance matters
MATA accident claims
MATA survivors’ pensions
Mela sickness allowance
Group life insurance

Why does Mela process your personal data?

Mela needs your personal data to process and make decisions on your MYEL and MATA insurance matters and related benefit claims. Mela processes your personal data to comply with its legal obligations and for other compatible purposes permitted by law.

What happens if you do not provide the requested information?

If Mela does not receive the information needed to process your case, a decision may have to be made on the basis of incomplete information. This may affect your insurance cover or benefits.

Without the necessary information, Mela may not be able to:

confirm a voluntary MATA insurance you have applied for
determine whether you are entitled to compensation in a MATA accident claim or calculate the amount payable
determine whether you are entitled to a MATA survivors’ pension or calculate the amount payable
determine whether you are entitled to a MYEL pension
assess your entitlement to Mela sickness allowance or calculate the amount payable
assess your entitlement to a group life insurance benefit or calculate the amount payable.

Other permitted uses of your personal data

Processing related insurance and benefits

If you are required to have MYEL insurance, the information you provide in connection with your MYEL insurance may also be used to arrange your statutory MATA occupational accident and occupational disease insurance and group life insurance cover.

Information collected through a MATA accident claim may also be used when processing a claim for Mela sickness allowance.

Information collected to make decisions on insurance or benefit matters may also be used for statistical and research purposes.

In individual cases, information obtained when processing one insurance or benefit matter may also be used in another insurance or benefit matter handled by Mela. This is allowed if the information is relevant to the decision, must be taken into account by law and Mela would otherwise be legally entitled to obtain it separately.

If you order or download an earnings-related pension card, Mela may use information provided in connection with your pension matter to verify your pension entitlement. Once you have been granted a pension that entitles you to a pension card, Mela may use the contact details provided in your pension application to send the card to you.

Customer communications

Mela uses your contact details to provide and administer its services.

Mela may use your mobile phone number to send you a text message informing you that:

you have received a reply to a message you sent through Mela’s e-services; or
Mela has sent you a message through the e-services concerning a matter that is currently being processed.

If you do not wish to receive text message notifications, you can turn them off under My information in the e-Services. You can also choose to receive notifications of new messages by email.

Mela may use the email address in its customer register to send you information about Mela cover. You can also subscribe to the newsletter on Mela’s website. If you no longer wish to receive the newsletter, you can unsubscribe using the link provided in it.

Mela’s right to obtain, disclose and transfer your personal data

Mela has a legal right to collect and disclose information that is necessary for handling your case.

If collecting or disclosing information is not based on law, Mela will normally ask for your consent. You may withdraw your consent at any time.

When handling your case, Mela may contact various authorities, pension providers and insurance institutions. In grant recipient insurance matters, Mela may also contact the organisation that awarded the grant. In MATA matters, Mela may contact healthcare providers. In group life insurance matters, Mela may contact organisations such as the Finnish Workers’ Compensation Center, the State Treasury and Keva.

Companies working on behalf of Mela, such as IT service providers, also process personal data. Because of the technical arrangements used for processing data, personal data may be transferred outside the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA) where allowed by law. Personal data may be transferred provided that:

The European Commission has decided that the country or organisation concerned provides an adequate level of data protection, the organisations processing the personal data have entered into an agreement with Mela incorporating the European Commission’s approved Standard Contractual Clauses (Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission on the page EUR-Lex (pdf)),
another transfer mechanism permitted under data protection legislation applies.

Where necessary, your personal data may also be transferred to EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and other countries in accordance with the GDPR and international social security agreements.

Your data protection rights

You have the right to know what personal data Mela has stored about you if you so wish. You can obtain a copy of your personal data.

You may request that inaccurate or incorrect personal data is corrected. You may also complete incomplete personal data if this is relevant to the purpose for which the personal data is being processed.

Where the processing of your personal data is based on a contract or your consent, you have the right to request that your personal data is deleted or that the data you have provided to Mela is transferred to a system outside Mela.

Where the processing of your personal data is based on Mela’s legitimate interests, you have the right to request that your personal data is deleted. You also have the right to object to the processing of your personal data, that is, to request that your data is not processed at all, if you have a specific reason relating to your personal situation.

Where the processing of your personal data is based on a task carried out in the public interest by Mela, you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data, that is, to request that your data is not processed at all, if you have a specific reason relating to your personal situation.

You may request that Mela restricts the processing of your personal data if you believe that the data is inaccurate or is being processed unlawfully. In this case, Mela may process your data only with your consent or for purposes specifically permitted under the General Data Protection Regulation.

Where the processing of your personal data is based on law, you cannot object to the processing of your personal data, nor can you request the deletion of personal data that is necessary for the processing or the transfer of that data to a system outside Mela. As a rule, the processing of insurance and benefit matters is based on law.

Nor do you have the right to require Mela to restrict the processing of your personal data while Mela is carrying out a lawful statutory task, even if you dispute the accuracy of your personal data, where your request for restriction of processing is manifestly unfounded.

Requests concerning personal data and the responses provided are generally free of charge. If Mela does not take action requested in relation to your personal data, you will be informed of this no later than one month after making your request.

To request a copy of your personal data, withdraw consent, ask us to correct, complete or erase your data, or restrict or object to its processing, send your request by confidential mail to tietosuoja(at)mela.fi.

If your request cannot be fulfilled, Mela will explain the reasons why. If you are dissatisfied with Mela’s decision concerning your personal data, or if you believe that Mela is not processing your personal data in compliance with data protection legislation, you have the right to complain to the Data Protection Ombudsman.

Retention of your personal data

We will keep the information needed to process your case for as long as required by law or for as long as it is otherwise necessary.
The retention periods are as follows:

MYEL and MATA insurance matters: at least 100 years. Information relating to your MYEL insurance will be retained in accordance with the retention periods set out in MATA legislation, as MYEL and MATA insurance records form a single set of insurance records.
MATA accident claims and MATA survivors’ pension claims: at least 100 years.
MYEL pension claims (other than survivors’ pension claims) and rehabilitation claims: for the person’s lifetime and for five calendar years after their death.
MYEL survivors’ pension claims: for the period during which the pension is paid and for five calendar years afterwards.
Recovery of MYEL and MATA insurance contributions: until the recovery process has been completed and for five calendar years afterwards. However, records will be retained for at least ten years in accordance with the retention periods set out in MATA legislation.
Appeal cases: 50 years, unless the records must be retained for a longer period on another legal basis.
MATA insurance matters relating to the basis for determining insurance contributions, the recovery of insurance contributions, a prohibition on the payment of compensation and the insurer’s right of recovery: at least 10 years.
Mela sickness allowance claims: 10 years.
Group life insurance claims: 10 years.

Automated decision-making

Automated decision-making at Mela is based on the Administrative Procedure Act (434/2003) and the Act on Information Management in Public Administration (906/2019). Under the Administrative Procedure Act, a decision may be made automatically if the matter does not require individual assessment. If the case includes any matters that require individual assessment, those matters must already have been assessed by a case officer. Automated decisions must follow the law and be based on rules prepared in advance. These rules are drawn up in accordance with the Act on Information Management in Public Administration. Before automated decision-making can be used, Mela must also adopt a formal implementation decision. In addition, automated decision-making may only be used if you have the right to request a review of the entire decision.

Mela’s processing rules set out when a case must be handled and decided by a Mela official instead of being processed automatically. This happens when a case requires individual assessment or when further information is needed before a decision can be made. You have the right to ask for an automated decision to be reviewed by a Mela official. You may also give your views on the matter and appeal against the decision.

The following types of cases may be decided using automated decision-making. More information about automated decision-making is available in the implementation decisions for the automated decision-making procedure.

Mela Sickness Allowances
Farmers and grant recipients are entitled to a daily allowance for periods of incapacity for work caused by illness during the waiting period referred to in the Health Insurance Act (1224/2004, section 8:7.1). This allowance is provided under the Act on Compensation for the Waiting Period under the Health Insurance Act for Farmers (118/1991). Mela may use automated decision-making in Mela sickness allowance cases that are based on an application submitted to Kela. A case may be decided automatically if:1) Mela’s decision follows Kela’s positive decision on a sickness allowance under the Health Insurance Act; 2) the applicant’s period of incapacity for work is shorter than the statutory waiting period, in which case both Kela’s and Mela’s decisions are negative; or 3) according to Kela’s sickness allowance decision, the applicant is not considered incapable of work, in which case both Kela’s and Mela’s decisions are negative.
Termination of Voluntary MATA Insurance Due to Unpaid Premiums
Mela may use automated decision-making to terminate voluntary MATA insurance due to unpaid insurance premiums. This applies to voluntary occupational accident insurance for farmers and voluntary leisure-time accident insurance for farmers and grant recipients. Mela is entitled to terminate a voluntary insurance policy if the insured person fails to pay an insurance premium by its due date (Farmers’ Occupational Accidents and Occupational Diseases Act 873/2015, sections 105, 121, 124 and 127). Mela will issue a written decision confirming the termination of the insurance.
Termination of Insurance When the Insured Person Starts Receiving an Old-Age Pension or Reaches the Statutory Maximum Pensionable Age
Mela may use automated decision-making when terminating insurance cover if the insured person starts receiving an old-age pension under earnings-related pension legislation or reaches the statutory maximum pensionable age. This may apply to compulsory MYEL insurance, group life insurance, compulsory MATA insurance and voluntary leisure-time MATA insurance, as provided for in the Farmers’ Pensions Act (1280/2006, sections 1, 7, 10 and 13) and the Farmers’ Occupational Accidents and Occupational Diseases Act (873/2015, sections 5, 124 and 128). Mela will issue a written decision on the termination of the insurance.
Adjustment of the Amount of an Accident Pension at Age 65
Mela may use automated decision-making when deciding on an adjustment to the amount of an accident pension when the insured person reaches the age of 65. The adjustment to the amount of the accident pension is set out clearly in law (Farmers’ Occupational Accidents and Occupational Diseases Act 873/2015, section 57; Farmers’ Accident Insurance Act 1026/1981, sections 9(1) and 21; and Accident Insurance Act 608/1948, section 16(1)). Under the automated procedure, the accident pension is recalculated only to reflect changes to the maximum annual earnings used in the calculation. No other parts of the calculation are changed. Mela will issue a written decision in the matter.
One-Time Increase to the Amount of an Accident Pension
Mela may use automated decision-making when deciding on an increase to the amount of an accident pension. The law provides for an increase to the amount of an accident pension in accordance with the Occupational Accident and Disease Act for Farmers (873/2015, section 57), the Occupational Accidents, Injuries and Diseases Act (459/2015, section 67), the Farmers’ Accident Insurance Act (1026/1981, sections 9(1) and 21), and the Employment Accident Insurance Act (608/1948, section 16(5)). Mela will issue a written decision in the matter.
Award of an Old-Age Pension Based on a First Application
Mela may use automated decision-making when deciding whether to award an old-age pension based on a person’s first old-age pension application, as provided for in the Farmers’ Pensions Act (1280/2006, sections 31, 32 and 33). If an old-age pension is claimed retrospectively for a period of more than three months before the month in which the application is submitted, Mela will not make an automated decision. Mela uses automated decision-making only in old-age pension cases where the pension is awarded.
Award of a Partial Early Old-Age Pension
Mela may use automated decision-making when deciding whether to award a partial early old-age pension. A partial early old-age pension may be awarded if the person has reached the statutory minimum age and is not receiving any other earnings-related pension benefit, as provided for in the Farmers’ Pensions Act (1280/2006, sections 35, 36 and 37). Mela will issue a written decision in the matter.
Granting Insurance to a Grant Recipient
Mela may use automated decision-making when deciding whether to grant insurance to a grant recipient, as provided for in the Farmers’ Pensions Act (1280/2006, sections 1a, 8a, 8b, 10a, 21a and 141b) and the Occupational Accident and Disease Act for Farmers (873/2015, section 5(2)). Mela confirms the insurance on the basis of either a grant decision submitted by the grant recipient or a notification submitted to Mela by the grant provider, after the grant recipient has been given an opportunity to present their views. When insurance is granted under the Farmers’ Pensions Act, the grant recipient is also granted insurance under the Occupational Accident and Disease Act for Farmers for the same period and for the same grant-funded work. Mela will issue a written decision in the matter.

Data Controller

Mela is the data controller for the personal data collected in connection with your insurance and benefits.

Contact Details of Mela’s Data Protection Officer

You can send a secure email to Mela’s Data Protection Officer via the data protection page at mela.fi/Processing of personal data, and data protection at Mela > Contact detail of the Data Protection Officer. Select “Data Protection” as the recipient.

You can call Mela’s switchboard on 029 435 11 or send a letter to Mela’s postal address. Please address the envelope to: Data Protection Officer / Mela.