The National Insurance Court is a judicial agency of the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion that enjoys full independence in the adjudication of disputes.
The National Insurance Court handles appeals against decisions on social security benefits and pensions. The cases concern rights and duties under acts such as the National Insurance Act, the Family Allowance Act and the War Pensions Act, as well as public occupational pension schemes. The National Insurance Court effectively operates like an administrative court, but it is not part of the ordinary court system. For judicial review of the National Insurance Court's orders, a summons must be submitted to the Court of Appeal.
The cases dealt with by the National Insurance Court are often of great significance to the individual. From a rule-of-law perspective, it is important that the National Insurance Court adjudicates its cases within a reasonable time, and in a manner that is sound and maintains confidence in its decisions. The National Insurance Court's orders and its interpretation of the law also provide guidance for NAV, Helseklage, public pension funds and others who apply social security and pension law.
The procedural rules of the National Insurance Court are set out in the Act on Appeals to the National Insurance Court (lov om anke til trygderetten). More than 90 per cent of the appeals handled by the National Insurance Court concern decisions adopted under the National Insurance Act. The vast majority of these decisions have been adopted by NAV Klageinstans. The National Insurance Court also deals with appeals against decisions on public service pensions adopted by pension funds such as the Government Pension Fund, the Municipal National Pension Fund.
An appeal to the National Insurance Court must be submitted to the public authority (usually NAV Klageinstans ) or insurance fund that made the decision. The public authority or pension fund prepares the case and sends it to the National Insurance Court.
The appeal can be submitted without legal assistance and without court fees.
You can find more information in the National Insurance Act and its provisions on complaints and appeal in section 21‑12.
Typical cases
The National Insurance Court handles cases concerning a number of different benefits, such as:
- Invalidity benefits
- Work assessment allowance
- Occupational hazard benefits
- Sickness benefits
- Unemployment benefits
- Basic benefits and auxiliary benefits