Health Sec. warned of social worker payment problems six months ago

The Social Insurance Bank, the institution executing the new personal budget, sent a secret letter warning of possible problems with payments to the Ministry of Health last summer, AD reports. In this letter, which was sent about 6 months before the introduction of the new system, the Social Insurance Bank (SVB) asked the Ministry of Health to involve the Ministry of Social Affairs in the project. The SVB falls under the Ministry of Social Affairs. The Bank was concerned that care offices and budget holders are getting too much of a free hand when submitting information for the new personal budget. A personal budget is a sum of money paid to a qualifying person who needs care or home assistance. With this a person can take his or her personal care into their own hands and decide which care provider to use and how the money is invested. The administrative chaos at the SVB has led to many budget holders not being paid or being paid too much. In February there were about 24 thousand personal budget claims waiting to be paid. The Tweede Kamer, lower house of parliament, now wants an explanation from State Secretary Martin van Rijn on why he chose to ignore these warnings.