All about the UWV 60-plus rule

Do you employ an employee 60 years of age or older and does this employee fall into absenteeism? Then there is now the 60-plus regulation of the UWV. This scheme, which runs until December 31, 2023, speeds up the process of whether or not the employee receives benefits and what these benefits will be. What does this scheme entail and how does it work? Puls is happy to explain in this article.

What is the UWV 60-plus rule?

Employees who have been on sick leave for more than two years and cannot work or work less due to illness may be entitled to WIA benefits. They may receive one of the following benefits:

• WGA benefits if they are at least 35% but less than 80% disabled;
• WGA benefits when they are at least 80% disabled, but there is still a reasonable chance of recovery.

With the UWV's 60-plus rule, the WIA application can be handled in writing. For this, you need the reintegration report. This is also called an RIV. When this regulation is used, only the WGA benefit can be claimed. The IVA benefit does require an insurance physician from the UWV.

When can the application not be in writing (only)?

If the UWV does need more information, the UWV will contact the applicant. Usually there is no assessment for the WIA application by an insurance physician. The UWV Occupational Assessor handles the WIA application based on the documents prepared during two years of illness. This includes reporting on reintegration and taxability. An assessment for possible IVA benefit involves an UWV insurance physician, so this application cannot be made in writing.

For (former) employees without an (ex-)employer and with a Sickness Benefits Act benefit, there are no RIV documents. The UWV then uses information about the taxability and reintegration that the UWV records during the Sickness Benefits Act. After the UWV has made a decision on the simplified WIA application, many things run the same as after a normal WIA application.

Temporary arrangement

The 60-plus rule is being offered by the UWV on a temporary basis and is valid from Oct. 1, 2022, to Dec. 31, 2023. The scheme was created because the UWV received more applications than it could process. As a result, the 8 weeks the UWV has to make a decision was not met and a backlog developed. In addition to this measure, a simplification in the WIA application for people aged 60 or older will apply from January 1, 2024.

What are the options for your employee?

The team of employment experts and career and reintegration consultants at Puls support you in determining your employees' load capacity and reintegration possibilities, but they also support the employee during reintegration to return to work with pleasure in a job that suits him or her.

Would you like to learn more about our services? Learn more about our Occupational Assessor surveys, career services and reintegration support on our website.