What is disability?
When a person is incapacitated for work, he or she is no longer able to perform (part of) work of economic value. The reason may be physical or psychological.
Calculating percentage disability
When someone has been absent from work for more than 104 weeks, the UWV will have an insurance physician and labor expert investigate the percentage of disability. This involves a comparison between the hourly wage a person could still earn now and the old wage. If the gap between the current and old wage is 35% or more, you are (partially) incapacitated for work.
Example:
The old wage was €20 per hour. After two years of absence this is only €12. You then earn €8 less than you did before. The difference between the old and new wage divided by the old wage is 40%. This makes someone partially disabled.
Categories of disability and benefits
The difference between the old and new wages may be less than 35%. In that case, the employee is not entitled to disability benefits and must work with the employer to see what options are available within or outside the organization.
If a person is still not (fully) employed after 88 weeks due to illness, he/she can apply for WIA benefits. After the assessment by the UWV's insurance physician and labor expert, there are four possible outcomes:
- 0-35% disabled; there is no entitlement to WIA benefits
- 35-80% disability; there is entitlement to (partial) WGA benefits
- 80-100% incapacity for work, not sustainable; there is entitlement to full WGA benefits
- 80-100% disability, permanent; there is entitlement to IVA benefits.
Whitepapers & Webinars
WGA stands for: Return to Work Partially Disabled. This benefit is received by a ...
