News item | 07-12-2023 | 00:00
Minister Carola Schouten (Poverty Policy, Participation and Pensions) wants to see whether she can make the benefit for orphans easier and replace it with a simpler scheme. This would allow a broader group of orphans to be entitled to benefits, such as children where one parent has died and who do not know the other parent. She wrote this in a letter to the House of Representatives.
Losing a parent or partner is a major event and has major emotional consequences. In addition, it often also has financial consequences. For example, it can affect the amount of benefits when family members take an orphan into their family. Orphans now receive a benefit through the General Surviving Dependents Act, the so-called orphan’s benefit. But there are conditions attached to this. Young people whose parent dies and who do not know their other parent but were recognized by them at birth cannot claim the benefit.
Minister Schouten, together with State Secretary Van Ooijen of VWS, will look at possible simplifications, for example by replacing the orphan’s benefit with a foster allowance. Orphans, or partial orphans, therefore have to comply with fewer rules.
Schouten: When you are young and you lose your parents, or one of your parents, your world collapses. You are dealing with many different emotions and are vulnerable. Young people must be given time to grieve and process this. But if you are worried about your financial situation, that time is not there. From conversations I have had with these young people, I hear that they suffer a lot from this. By simplifying orphan benefits, we help them get their lives back on track as best as possible.
The minister has had several conversations with representatives of young people who are themselves orphans about the problems they face. Next year she expects to be able to send the House of Representatives a further elaboration of the plans.