The benefits agency UWV has once again made mistakes regarding the calculation of benefit payments. This time, errors were made with the files of around 3,000 people in the Sickness Benefits Act whose extra income was incorrectly calculated in the benefits, confirmed a spokesperson for the benefits agency after reporting by AD and EenVandaag. UWV also sounded the alarm about sick employees who, after consultation with their employer, quit their jobs and then unintentionally ended up without benefits.
The issues occurred in 2016. It is unclear how many files it is about in total because the UWV is still looking into how best to handle the benefits that have already been finalized, according to a spokesperson. The error came to light in February, after which the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment was informed. The UWV and the ministry are still in talks about how to solve the situation.
These errors in calculation came on top of the problems with calculating other benefits like WIA and WW. This likely led to tens of thousands of people receiving benefit payments which were either too high or too low. According to the spokesperson, the problem regarding the Sickness Benefits were discovered from regular quality controls, and is not connected to the previous mistakes.
The UWV reported in November that they had made mistakes when calculating the Sickness Benefits. This involved errors in determining the daily wage of benefit recipients, which then serves as the basis for the amount that individual receives. The same problem occurred with people receiving unemployment benefits.
Further, an internal study led the benefits agency to determine that many people on sick leave who leave their jobs by mutual decision with the employer were not paid the benefits they were owed. The UWV believes that this happens at least 2,000 times a year.
Employers are obligated to pay their ill employees for a maximum of two years. However, the UWV has stated that over the last few years, it has regularly occurred that sick staff members agree to break the labor agreement via a settlement agreement. The employee then runs the risk that the unemployment benefit will be reclaimed and the Sickness Benefits will not be paid.
The benefits agency is pushing for politicians to make this construction more difficult. Employers can use settlement agreements to avoid continued payment of wages, premium payments, and assistance with reintegration in an “improper manner” without any adverse consequences, according to the UWV.