Work and Income: self-employed

Entrepreneurs and self-employed professionals with long-term health issues face the financial consequences immediately. This is why many focus their energy primarily on staying employed. As a result, recovery takes longer. Network entrepreneur Marie-Thérèse Woltering shares the challenges she faced as an independent entrepreneur and how she tried to cope with her limited energy.

If you experience long-term symptoms after COVID-19, this will affect your work. You may be able to work less or not at all. After reporting sick, you will visit various healthcare providers, such as a specialist, physiotherapist, or occupational therapist. Your clients and colleagues want to know what is wrong and when you can return to work. Your life has been turned upside down, and that takes energy—energy you want to conserve.

An aftercare advisor explains how you can deal with this situation.

Conducting and preparing for conversations

If you remain ill for an extended period, you will need to have various conversations about work. With your client(s), your colleagues, and, if you are insured, with an occupational health specialist or insurance doctor. These conversations are important to you. Therefore, prepare for them well and bring someone along. Together, you will hear and remember more than you would alone. Explain how you feel and what you can and cannot do. And that this varies from day to day. Do not pretend to feel better than you do. Write a daily log in preparation.

You do not have to tell clients everything immediately, but it is wise to provide them with a general overview. Let them know that you need more time or are bringing in someone else. By being open, you are more likely to receive understanding and support.

As a self-employed person, you do not have an occupational physician to speak with. If you are insured, you speak with your insurance physician. The videos below explain how to conduct conversations about work and how the conversation with the occupational physician (in your case, the insurance physician) proceeds. See also the 'Points to consider during conversations'.

To provide a clear picture of how you are doing, write a daily log. In this log, you describe very precisely how your days unfold. You write down what you can and cannot do and how much energy it costs you. You use a daily log in discussions about work, for example, in the conversation with the insurance doctor, who uses it to accurately assess your capacity for work.

To be able to resume your work, you want to work on your recovery. Because your symptoms are unpredictable and vary from person to person, this is not always easy. It requires a tailored approach. Ask your disability insurer whether you can be reimbursed for the costs of reintegration support. Not insured? Check your network to see if someone can advise or guide you. You can also consult an occupational therapist; this is covered by your health insurance. It is also possible to pay for a one-off session at your own expense. occupational physician to consult.

Your energy is limited due to your symptoms, while recovery actually requires a lot of your energy. Occupational physician 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.

Recognizing and guarding boundaries (PEM)

Many people with post-COVID suffer from post-exertional malaise (PEM). Symptoms worsen after physical, cognitive, and/or emotional exertion. Pacing is a technique to manage symptoms and prevent the worsening of complaints. You learn to recognize your physical and cognitive limits, so that you can lead as active a life as possible within those limits.

Disability Insurance (AOV)

As a self-employed person, you can take out disability insurance. You can no longer take out insurance if you are already ill. If you have insurance, you report your illness to your insurer. You will have an interview with an insurance doctor. This may be followed by an interview with a labor expert who determines the percentage of your disability and the amount of your benefit. Sometimes you also receive assistance with reintegration. Check the policy conditions to see what you are entitled to.

Not every disability insurance policy covers post-COVID. There are several known examples of disputes with disability insurers. These usually concern the medical objectivity of the illness.

Information to substantiate the medical objectivity:

• PEM Factsheet
• POTS Factsheet
• Factsheet MCAS 
• Webinar Long COVID
• Memo on uniform sustainability assessment (UWV) 

Disputes regarding Disability Insurance (AOV)

Do you have a dispute with your disability insurance? We have prepared a handy step-by-step plan for you.

Bread fund or donation circle

Are you a member of a mutual sickness fund or donation circle? Report your illness to the board as soon as possible. The first 30 days are at your own expense. After this period, you will receive a donation from each participant. This is the amount you subscribed to. These donations are tax-free. You decide for yourself the percentage of your sick leave. Be realistic and try to allow sufficient time for recovery. The donations stop after two years.

Not insured or no mutual insurance fund

Sometimes you can receive a benefit from the municipality:

• Assistance for the self-employed (Bbz)
• IOAZ benefit
• General assistance 

On the financial page, you will find more information about schemes and financial allowances.

Legal support

Self-employed persons can make use of:

• Own legal assistance (if you are insured for this)
• Trade union (if you are a member)
• Legal counter (explanation of your rights)
• Subsidized legal aid (usually not for disability insurance disputes)

Additional occupational or medical expertise

Do you require additional occupational or medical expertise? Then you can call upon one of the many consultancy firms. Ask your legal advisor at your union, the legal desk or the legal aid insurer which consultancy firms you can consult. C-support does not carry out these expertises itself. However, your aftercare advisor can help you find the right path.

Support C-support

Are conversations with your insurer, insurance doctor, or colleagues proving difficult? Are you facing financial problems? Contact your Aftercare Advisor for support and advice.

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