Integrity Compensation (Integritätsentschädigung)

Function

Integrity compensation makes good the non-pecuniary harm that an accident or occupational disease leaves on body, mind or psyche – comparable to moral damages in liability law, but standardised and without any element of fault. Entitlement arises under Art. 24 UVG where the impairment is permanent (expected to persist for life at least to the same extent) and significant (a conspicuous or severe impairment); earning capacity is irrelevant, so the benefit is paid alongside a disability pension or where no pension is due at all. It is fixed together with the pension or, where there is no pension entitlement, at the end of medical treatment (Art. 24 para. 2 UVG).

Assessment

The benefit is a lump sum expressed as a percentage of the maximum insured annual earnings applicable on the day of the accident (2026: CHF 148,200), graded by severity (Art. 25 UVG). Annex 3 UVV contains the scale for typical impairments, for example 50 per cent for loss of an arm at or above the elbow, 40 per cent for loss of a hand, 30 per cent for loss of sight in one eye, 15 per cent for loss of hearing in one ear, 90 per cent for paraplegia and 100 per cent for tetraplegia or total blindness. Impairments below 5 per cent give no entitlement; unlisted impairments are derived from the scale values, for which Suva publishes supplementary assessment tables (“Feinraster”) that the courts accept as guideline values. Several impairments are assessed as a whole, capped at the maximum insured earnings.

Distinction

Integrity compensation is the UVG counterpart to the schedule of disability percentages (Gliedertaxe) in private accident insurance, with two differences: the percentages are set by law and the reference amount is the statutory maximum earnings rather than a freely chosen sum insured. Austria has a counterpart only in the Integritätsabgeltung (§ 213a ASVG), payable solely for accidents caused by grossly negligent breaches of occupational safety rules; German statutory accident insurance has no comparable benefit and compensates permanent impairment exclusively through the MdE-based pension.