4.  The applicant was born in 1953 and lives in Parola. 5.  The applicant requested sickness benefits due to his incapacity for work for the period from 3 June 2002 until 31 December 2002. On 10 June 2002 the applicant’s doctor stated in a certificate that he was incapable of working until 31 December 2002. 6.  The Social Insurance Institution (kansaneläkelaitos - KELA, folkpensionsanstalten – FPA, later “KELA”) rejected his request in two decisions of 28 August 2002. In the decisions his disability was described in detail, but he was not considered incapable of working. The decision was based on section 14 of the Sickness Insurance Act (sairasvakuutuslaki,  sjukförsäkringslag 364/1963). 7.  On 13 September 2002 the applicant appealed to the Social Insurance Board (sosiaalivakuutuslautakunta, socialförsäkringsnämd). His appeal was rejected on 24 April 2003. In the decision no reference was made to the certificates provided by the applicant’s doctor. It stated that the applicant had been given an opportunity to reply to the KELA’s statement, but it did not give any details of the statement nor did it state whether the applicant had replied. 8.  On 4 June 2003 the applicant appealed to the Appellate Board for Social Insurance (tarkastuslautakunta, prövningsnämnden, later the “Appellate Board”). His appeal was rejected on 15 January 2004. In the decision no reference was made to the statements by the applicant’s doctors or the report from the time he spent in rehabilitation between 8 January and 28 January 2003. Like the decision of the Social Insurance Board, it stated that the applicant had had the opportunity to reply to the KELA’s statement, but failed to specify the content of the statement and whether the applicant had replied to it. 9.  On 1 March 2004 the applicant requested information on the documents in his file with the KELA. The documents contained several statements by a medical expert, requested by the KELA at various times. The statements were dated 10 April, 6 June, 22 August and 17 October 2002 and 18 June 2003. None of the authorities had previously provided him with copies of the statements. 10.  According to information supplied by the Government at the Court’s request, the medical statements in question were also included in the case file of the Appellate Board.