More than 68,000 people have registered to be eligible for compensation for victims of the Benefits Affair. The Ministry of Finance reported this to the ANP news agency on Monday. They had until December 31 to report. The number corresponds to what outgoing State Secretary Aukje de Vries (Finance, VVD) expected in September.
Those who have registered will receive an ‘initial test’ within a few months to determine whether they are eligible for recovery. For example, if someone has no children, they cannot be a victim. Fewer than one in three people pass that test and receive 30,000 euros. Rejected people can also then report for the ‘integral assessment’, a longer examination.
The recovery revolves around the government’s harsh approach to tens of thousands of parents. They were entitled to childcare allowance, but for example made a mistake when applying and had to pay everything back. This often led to major financial and personal problems.
The recovery operation has been going smoothly so far. From research by NRC last year it turned out that the organization responsible for the recovery was in crisis.
The government will not finish distributing the compensation until the end of 2026. In many cases, a sum of money will not undo the damage.
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