A bill before the Dutch House of Representatives would make the occupational physician’s assessment decisive for the medical part of a reintegration-file review. It is not yet law. Employers would still be responsible for timely reintegration and a complete record.
Why this matters
During the first 104 sickness weeks, employer and employee share responsibility for reintegration. The occupational physician assesses capacity. The employer arranges suitable duties, hours, workplace changes and review dates. Under the proposal, a later medical disagreement alone would not extend wage payments. UWV would still assess the work done and the file. Repairable gaps can still mean up to 52 extra weeks of wage payments. That affects payroll, rosters, customer work and cash planning. A delayed WIA decision can leave a gap before the final benefit decision.
Example
A retailer has an employee who can work short shifts but cannot lift. The medical assessment is clear. The roster still needs to change. The manager assigns counter duties, agrees weekly hours and sets a review date. The file records the work considered, the employee’s response and why other duties did not fit. Continued wages and temporary cover go into the cash forecast. Emails and informal talks can leave gaps in the record. The bill gives medical advice more weight. It does not create the work plan or maintain the file.
XTROVERSO tips
- Check every key date. List the first-year review, second-track decisions, the 104-week point and planned WIA steps. Assign an owner and next action to every date.
- Match advice to actual work. Compare the latest medical assessment with actual duties, hours and workplace changes. Record why each work option is suitable or unsuitable.
- Keep one usable file. Store assessments, meeting notes, employee responses, work offers and decisions together. A manager should be able to follow the case months later.
- Review every adjustment. Do not let reduced hours or changed duties continue without review. Record what will be checked and who will make the next decision.
- Add the case to the cash forecast. Include wages, temporary cover, external support and possible delays. Check the insurance contract before cash pressure builds.
- Follow current law. The bill is still pending. Do not treat the occupational physician’s view as legally decisive until the change takes effect.
Need your sickness file, deadlines and payroll exposure reviewed? We can identify gaps in the record
The data, sourcing, and analysis behind this article were conducted by Linda Pavan. AI was not used to identify sources, build the factual basis, or produce the analytical judgment contained here. AI was used only as a drafting aid. The final English text was personally reviewed, edited, and approved by Linda Pavan before publication.
References
- Meer zekerheid voor werkgevers en werknemers bij re-integratie - oordeel bedrijfsarts leidend · Salaris Vanmorgen
- Overheid.nl Wetgevingskalender - Legislative status and scope of the bill
- Rijksoverheid - Existing reintegration duty and wage-sanction exposure
- UWV - What the RIV assessment currently measures
- UWV - WIA waiting times and advances
- UWV - Current UWV position on delayed WIA decisions
- CBS - Sickness absence and employer exposure in 2026
- Rijksoverheid - Policy development on WIA-advance waiver and financing
