Welfare fine partly scrapped for woman who received groceries from mother

A resident from Wijdemeren only has to partly repay a fine of over 7,000 euros that she received from the municipality of Wijdemeren, because she received social assistance and at the same time received structural groceries from her mother. This was ruled by the Central Appeals Council on Monday morning. The amount the woman now has to repay is 2,835 euros.

According to the judge, the resident should have reported that she received groceries on a structural basis. It was therefore justified that the municipality reduced her assistance. But Wijdemeren did not provide enough evidence to recover more than 7,000 euros, the judge said. The woman therefore does not have to pay the full amount.

The Central Appeals Court, the highest administrative court in social security and civil service cases, also ruled that Wijdemeren must pay the woman 200 euros in compensation for an illegal home visit. In addition, the municipality must reimburse the costs of the proceedings for the woman.

The resident received benefits from 2015 and was also entitled to allowances, according to the municipality. In 2018, it turned out that she had not made any demonstrable living expenses since 2015, but that she did own a car and a motorcycle. "From the more expensive segment," according to the municipality. People on welfare are obliged to report changes in their assets (car ownership) and income (free groceries).

This issue received a lot of attention at the end of last year. In February of this year, parliament supported a proposal from various parties stating that people on welfare may receive up to 1,200 euros in donations every year without being cut on their benefits. According to parliament, this case shows that the rules sometimes turn out very harsh.

The court ruled in favor of the municipality in 2019, but the resident appealed against the ruling.