Changes urgently needed to Dutch disability benefit system
The Dutch House of Representatives is debating the new disability benefit system this week. The system is in deadlock and in urgent need of reform. Barend Barentsen, Professor of Labour Law, discusses the topic in Dutch newspaper the ‘Telegraaf’.
Pressure for reform is high, but a quick solution seems far away. The long-term sick are caught in a maze of rules and waiting times at the UWV, the Employee Insurance Agency. An independent committee on the future of the disability system, headed by former MP Roos Vermeij, ruled a year ago that ‘the system is complex, paralysing and unfair’, the newspaper reports.
According to Professor Barentsen, the minister is taking a risk by partially modifying the current system, as the system will continue to contain potentially significant ‘flaws’. Employers have expressed dissatisfaction and are unhappy with the high cost of continuing to pay sick workers which can go on for two years. Barentsen: 'The stakes are high. I wouldn’t be too optimistic for a quick solution.'
More information?
Read the full article in the Telegraaf (€, in Dutch)