Imagine this happening to you. Due to illness, you can no longer work. Life is uncertain, your health lets you down, and you dont know if youll ever find a job again? Then the income safety net of social security, the WIA benefit, is very important. Recently, that certainty has also come under pressure. Time and again, the news reported that the UWV made mistakes in assessing the benefits for people in the WIA.
Tens of thousands of people may have received too low or too high disability benefits. The anger, despair, sadness, and uncertainty among people are significant. Some have been fighting for years to get attention for their situation caused by the UWVs mistakes. But the government and the UWV were unresponsive. Now that it is finally recognized that mistakes have been made, much is said about the process and the mistakes, but we hear little about the uncertainty of the victims. Therefore, GroenLinks-PvdA comes up with a proposal for a social plan and calls on the government to provide certainty quickly.
Mariëtte Patijn – Spokesperson for Labor and Income Second Chamber fraction GroenLinks-PvdA
Clarity about your financial situation
This certainty is necessary. Because what if you have received a too high benefit for years, and this can suddenly be lowered without you being able to absorb it? What if you have received too low a benefit, causing you to be in trouble with your health care allowance or housing allowance during a reimbursement? Due to government errors, tens of thousands of people are left in the dark regarding their financial situation.
People deserve clarity, certainty, and justice, believes GroenLinks-PvdA. People need to know where they stand, and the damage done must be repaired.
Therefore, GroenLinks-PvdA is now coming up with a social plan that describes which mistakes are known so far and how the consequences should be addressed. So that people can now have certainty. Even if it takes a long time to resolve the issues.
In this social plan:
- People who have received too low benefits should be compensated. Some will need recognition and a quick settlement, while others will want their case to be investigated further. Victims can therefore choose between a one-time, tax-free amount of €5000,- net or a suitable gross compensation.
- Repayments must be completely excluded. The Minister of Social Affairs and Employment indicates that benefits will be reclaimed if people “could reasonably have known” that they received too much. That opens a door that must remain closed. This is about a restoration operation, not a fraud hunt.
- Some people have received too high benefits due to errors by the UWV. But if after years your benefit is suddenly lowered, it can cause major problems. It is unacceptable for people to face financial difficulties or fall into debt due to government mistakes. Therefore, lowering can only occur if it does not conflict with the principle of legal certainty and in consultation with the affected party.
- The UWV is currently mapping the victims and will contact them between now and June 2026. Once the group of victims is identified, those who do not belong to this group must be informed that they are not part of the revision and restoration operation. This provides peace and clarity.
“We want people to receive recognition and certainty,” says GroenLinks-PvdA member of parliament Mariëtte Patijn. “When the government makes mistakes, people have the right to a fair and just recovery.”