Dilemma
It can happen to anyone: an accident or a disease that ensures that you can no longer practice your profession. In the past year, more than 800,000 people received a disability benefit. What should you do if you suddenly become incapacitated for work? And how can you prepare for it?
Prepare for …
Disability is a theme that most people only start to think about when they have to deal with it. That should be different, says Karin Radstaak of the National Institute for Budget Information (Nibud). She compares disability with other important life events such as having a child, or a divorce. Or situations that you do not expect, but for which you ensure. “If you take out fire insurance, you wonder how much your household effects are worth,” said Radstaak.
According to her, it is useful to think about the situation in which you would become incapacitated for work. “What happens then? Which parties do you come into contact with? What kind of schemes are there?” The Nibud therefore has a step -by -step plan prepared in preparation for disability.
In addition to gathering information about disability and support schemes, it is wise to look at where you could save and, if possible, to put some money as a buffer aside. Radstaak: “Of course it depends on the extent to which you become incapacitated for work and whether you can also work, but it is good to know what to expect financially.” If you end up below a certain income level, you are entitled to rental or care allowance, for example, while you have not had to deal with it before.
The way in which your work is organized also plays a major role in this. “In paid employment you will be able to return for another two years if you are sick, but as a self -employed person you have to ask yourself whether you should take out disability insurance or step into a bread fund,” said Radstaak.
Act at …
If you have dropped out, it is always advisable to ask if someone wants to look over your shoulder. “You already have enough worries about what is going on with you,” says Radstaak. “So if someone who trusts you can help you sort out what arrangements may be eligible, that is very useful.” Municipalities also have a role to play in this, but it is more difficult for them to approach people, partly due to growing distrust in the government.
In addition to distrust, asking for help, shame often plays a role, seeing labor expert Janthony Wielink. He helps determine to what extent someone can still work and supports the prevention and repair of incapacity for work. “People think that disability does not happen to them and are therefore always surprised. It is not a shame to ask for help, because everything that comes to you can be quite complicated.”
In the process after a sick report, open communication between employee and employer is of great importance, Wielink knows. He sees that both parties are often insufficiently sitting around the table to set out a common goal and a path to it. “Very often that is outsourced to an occupational health and safety service,” he says. “And that is an external party that just does his thing, while it is about your future.” With an open dialogue and clear expectations, the employee and employer can think together about which work can be resumed in the long term.
The goal must be clear and those involved should think in terms of how to achieve that, says the labor expert. “The main goal is always to return to your own work. But sometimes you can’t. Then you can look at other work in the organization. And if that is not possible, you should look at possibilities at another employer.” This is all recorded in the Gatekeeper Improvement Actwith an extensive step -by -step plan for employers to guide people back to work.
That step -by -step plan can be for all parties involved – from a company doctor, to a case manager And being a pitfall – being a pitfall, Wielink sees in practice. Because there is a lot of focus on the process, and the workload for all parties involved is very high, there is more a ‘check mark culture’ than good guidance. “Everyone takes a check mark in the next step, but it is better to approach the process holistically,” says Wielink. During training sessions he gives, he often suggests: see if you can’t skip a step, or just take another, extra step.
If the goal of returning to work proves not feasible, it is important that it is clearly communicated about it, says Wielink. If people start receiving less wages, or perhaps go to a WIA benefit, it is very important that they know what to expect. If they have that clarity, they take a step faster than if it all stays vague. “
So
Disability always comes unexpectedly, but that does not mean that you cannot prepare for it. It helps if you know which schemes exist, if you have insight into your financial situation and, if possible, can build a buffer. If you become incapacitated for work, you can see what you can still do in consultation with your employer or possibly another employer.