Work and Income (test year 1)

If you experience persistent symptoms after a COVID-19 infection, this will impact your work. You may be able to work less or not at all. After reporting sick, you'll visit various healthcare providers, such as your general practitioner, a specialist, a physiotherapist, or an occupational therapist. Your employer and colleagues will want to know what's going on and when you can return to work. You'll also be faced with legislation that's likely unfamiliar to you. Your life is turned upside down, and that takes energy—energy you actually need to get back to work.

Aftercare advisor Rianne Hermanns explains how you can better deal with this situation:

Now that you're sick for an extended period, you'll need to have all sorts of conversations about work. With your employer, colleagues, company doctor, case manager, or absence counselor. These conversations are important for you. So prepare well for them and bring someone with you. Together you'll hear and remember more than alone. Tell them how you feel and what you can and can't do. And that this varies from day to day. Don't pretend to be better than you feel.

Make sure you know who you're meeting with and what the purpose of the meeting is. If you're unsure, ask the person you're meeting with. The videos below explain how to conduct work-related conversations and how the meeting with the occupational health physician will proceed:

To give a good picture of how you're doing, create a daily journal. This journal describes in detail how your days unfold. You write down what you can and can't do, and how much energy each activity requires. Use this daily journal in discussions about work, for example, with the occupational health physician, who will use it to accurately assess your resilience. The daily journal provides a better understanding of your situation and helps you with your reintegration process, enabling you to return to work.

When you've called in sick, you and your employer will take steps to ensure you can return to work. This is called reintegration. The rules for this are outlined in the Gatekeeper Improvement Act. Together with your employer, you'll try to keep your absence as short as possible and expedite your reintegration. The image shows all the steps and who plays what role.

NB: For temporary employees who leave work while ill, or whose employer is self-insured, rights and obligations under the Sickness Benefits Act apply (see further).

Roles within the Gatekeeper Improvement Act (reintegration):

• De employee Collaborates with all steps necessary to return to work: action plan, first-year evaluation, and discussions with the company doctor and case manager or absence counselor.
• De employer has a duty of care and must actively work on reintegration from the first day of illness.
• De working conditions service Supports employers in complying with the obligations under the Gatekeeper Improvement Act. The company doctor is usually employed by this organization.
• De occupational physician is a medical expert who assesses what the employee can (still) do despite the health complaints.
• De case manager or absence counselor monitors the reintegration process and often acts as the link between employee, employer, and occupational health physician. The manager, an HR representative, or an occupational health and safety service provider can fulfill the role of case manager.

You want to return to work. You miss your colleagues and want to do what you used to love. Work also offers the necessary distraction so you think less about your complaints. After consulting your occupational health physician (problem analysis), you and your employer will draw up a plan. a plan of action up. This states what is needed for you to be able to return to work.

In the action plan, you agree on the goal of the reintegration and the activities that will best achieve this. You also specify any necessary adjustments to your work or workplace. For example, you might agree to work a few hours a day, in a quiet workspace free from distractions. If returning to work isn't yet possible, you'll agree on how you will maintain contact during the illness. Every six weeks, you and your employer will evaluate progress and adjust the action plan as needed.

First-year evaluation

You and your employer will conduct an evaluation of the reintegration process from year 1. Together, you will assess whether sufficient steps have been taken to ensure appropriate reintegration and whether the action plan needs to be adjusted. New agreements will be included in the final evaluation report.

Platform 1

In principle, you will return to your employer. This is called reintegration track 1. Adjustments to your current role or workplace may be necessary, otherwise you will need to look for a position that better suits your limitations. Your employer will assist you with this. Reintegration track 1 begins immediately after you report sick and runs until the end of your employment.

Read more about suitable work on the Manual.

The Sickness Benefits Act applies to people with a temporary contract who leave employment due to illness or whose employer is self-insured.

Sick from service

Do you have a temporary contract and are you still sick when it expires? Your employer is not required to renew your contract. You will then leave work due to illness. The Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) will be your point of contact for guidance on your reintegration and benefits. You will have an interview with a medical examiner or occupational health and safety expert. They will assess your eligibility for Sickness Benefits Act benefits and your ability to work.

You must actively cooperate with your recovery and reintegration. If you are able to return to work (partially), you must notify the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV). You may then be required to apply for jobs.

Employer is self-risk-bearer for the Sickness Benefits Act

If your employer is self-insured for the Sickness Benefits Act, they are responsible for your reintegration and sickness benefits. If you leave your job due to illness, your former employer will support you in your recovery and reintegration. The employer may outsource this work, for example, to an occupational health and safety service or reintegration company.

The employer may oblige you to:

• To attend discussions with the occupational health and safety service.
• To perform suitable work if you are able to work part-time.
• To draw up a plan of action.

It's important that you are aware of your legal obligations regarding reintegration. If you are unavailable and refuse reintegration activities, this may affect your benefits.

First-year Sickness Benefits Act assessment (weeks 46–52)

If you have been ill for almost a year, you will receive a First-Year Sickness Benefits Act assessment. The Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) will assess whether you have made sufficient efforts to reintegrate and whether you are still entitled to a Sickness Benefits Act benefit.

How does this work?

• The insurance doctor will assess whether you are still incapacitated for work or whether you are suitable for other suitable work (work capacity assessment).
• If you are able to work (partly), you will have a consultation with an occupational expert.
• The occupational therapist will assess whether there is suitable work that you can do with your limitations. They will consider your job in general, not just your previous work.
• You will receive a decision from the UWV stating whether you can return to work (partially) and whether your Sickness Benefits Act benefit will continue, stop, or be adjusted.

In order to resume your work, you want to work on your recovery. Because the symptoms of Long COVID are erratic and differ from person to person, this is not always easy. It requires a customized approach. Your company doctor or insurance doctor will help you with this.

Your complaints limit your energy while recovery requires a lot of your energy. Company doctor Ernst Jurgens explains what recovery time is and what you can do to support your recovery.

Occupational therapist Edith Brocken gives tips on how to deal with the limited energy when returning to work. Make a plan and involve your environment. Make smart choices about what to spend your limited energy on.

If you are employed and report sick, you will receive 70% of your salary for two years. The statutory minimum wage serves as the lower limit. Your employer can supplement your salary up to 100% in the first year. Check your contract or collective labor agreement (CLA) for this. However, certain allowances, such as travel expenses or a lease car, will be waived.

If it becomes apparent early on in your illness that your condition is so serious that returning to work is impossible, you can apply for an early WIA benefit. A statement from your company doctor or insurance physician is required for this. Thisearly IVA' is possible from 3 to 68 weeks of illness.

Sickness Benefits Act benefit

You are covered by the Sickness Benefits Act if you have a temporary contract and leave work due to illness, or if your employer is self-insured. In both situations, it is important that you during You report sick under the employment contract. If you leave your job while sick, you apply for Sickness Benefits Act benefits yourself. If you are a self-insured employee, your employer applies for Sickness Benefits Act benefits.

Assessment of Sickness Benefits Act benefits

• The insurance doctor will assess whether you are fully or partially incapacitated for work based on your medical situation.
• If you are able to work (partly), the occupational expert will determine how much you can earn.
• If you earn 65% or less of the wage a healthy person with comparable education or experience can earn, you will receive a Sickness Benefits Act benefit.
• If you earn more than 65%, your Sickness Benefits Act benefits will stop. Depending on your employment history, you may then be entitled to unemployment benefits.

You will receive a Sickness Benefits Act benefit for a maximum of 104 weeks (2 years) from the date you reported sick, unless you recover or can return to work sooner. This will be assessed during the first-year Sickness Benefits Act assessment by the UWV.

First-year Sickness Benefits Act assessment by the UWV

• Completely incapacitated? Sickness Benefits Act benefits continue.
• Partially incapacitated? Find suitable work. Your benefits may continue (partially) or be adjusted.
• Fit for other work? Sickness Benefits Act benefits will stop. If you can't find suitable work, you'll receive unemployment benefits (WW) or social assistance benefits.
• Didn't do enough for reintegration? Potential reduction in your benefits (wage penalty).

If you remain ill for an extended period, you will normally contact your occupational health physician every six weeks. Together, you will explore the options for gradually returning to work. Are conversations with your occupational health physician, insurance doctor, employer, or colleagues proving difficult? Are you experiencing misunderstandings or pressure? Contact your Aftercare Advisor for support. You can also contact them for personalized advice if your situation requires it.