Up to 50,000 people affected by UWV benefit miscalculations, FNV wants emergency fund

Between 25,000 and 50,000 people have been affected by mistakes made by Dutch benefits agency UWV with WIA benefits. "A considerable number," says Minister Eddy van Hijum (Social Affairs and Employment). "It is especially for those people themselves that it is extremely unpleasant and annoying that we have ended up in this situation, and we have to consider a recovery operation of this magnitude."

For the first time, the benefits agency authority has provided an estimate of the number of people affected by the incorrectly calculated benefits. Previously, it had said that 80,000 people were affected, but that was still “a lot of people,” the minister acknowledges.

The UWV had been miscalculating WIA benefits for years, so those affected either received too much or too little. In about half of the cases, too much would have been paid, in the other half too little. But even that is still uncertain, according to Van Hijum. It is “a time-consuming matter” to find out who exactly made mistakes, said the minister. "You actually have to examine each situation individually."

In addition, the benefits agency UWV has also made errors in calculating benefits under the Sickness Benefits Act. According to the UWV, a total of 2 percent of WW funds were misallocated. For the Sickness Benefits Act, which is intended for sick people without a permanent job or in need of benefits, the figure is 2.1 percent. However, the benefits agency immediately adds that this does not clarify the total number of files in which errors were made. This would require further research, which the benefits office has not yet had time to do, explains a spokesperson.

The UWV has calculated that errors were made in 10 percent of the “error-prone” processes in WW files. The figure for the Sickness Benefits Act is 7 percent. It was previously revealed that errors were also made in Wajong benefits, which are intended for people who have an illness or disability at a young age. Here, errors occurred in 5 percent of transactions where the risk of error was high.

"We are doing everything we can to get this out in the open as soon as possible and to arrive at a recovery approach that does justice to their situation," the minister promises. "That has to be done as quickly as possible, but it also has to be done carefully." He expects to have more clarity about the concrete approach early next year. It will only become clear when people who received too little benefit will be compensated for this then.

According to Van Hijum, the WIA is no longer practicable. He wants to simplify the service, partly because the UWV cannot handle it this way. An important committee made a number of recommendations earlier this year to revise the system, but this will take years and is also very expensive.

The UWV plans to set up a new department with 350 employees to correct the miscalculations in the thousands of incorrectly issued benefits, according to AD. This is to be done as soon as possible. It is an undertaking that stands on shaky ground, as the benefits agency is already struggling with large backlogs and says it can barely cope with the workload, the newspaper writes.

FNV wants an emergency fund for generous compensation for UWV victims

Benefit recipients who are the victims of incorrect calculations by the UWV should be compensated "generously and easily" by an emergency fund, the FNV trade union says. According to the union, that fund should be filled with excess premiums for the WIA disability insurance.

"The resources are there. For years, billions more in premiums have been paid for the WIA than are spent. The government only needs a fraction of the bulging disability fund for this," says Kitty Jong, vice-chair of FNV. Benefit recipients are dependent on the UWV, you can't leave them out in the freezing cold."

FNV says it is concerned about the solutions chosen for the problems with incorrect calculations at the UWV , which also play a role in other benefits. According to the union, the benefits agency should receive external help and be given fewer tasks.

Another union, CNV, calls it a "major setback" that the UWV cannot yet make clear who exactly has been affected. A definitive answer to this question may come in the first months of 2025. "CNV understands that the task is very complex, but it is unacceptable that clarity will remain a long time coming for so many people," says union official Jan-Pieter Daems.

He also finds it "in no way acceptable" that the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment does not completely rule out recoveries of benefits received in excess. The ministry states that the starting point is that people should not be the victims of government mistakes. But if, for example, it is very clear that someone has received far too much, there is a chance that money will be recovered. The ministry and the UWV are still investigating how exactly this should be done.