The world is becoming increasingly international, and this means more and more people are living and/or working abroad. But what does this mean for any entitlement to WIA benefits once the two years of absence have passed?
Entitlement to disability benefits
Usually a person is entitled to disability benefits when ill. However, the rules specific to employee insurance (WW, Sickness Act, WIA and WAO) depend on the country where the employee is insured. Where an employee is insured can be found on the payslip.
Insurance Ways
An employee can be insured in three ways:
Is the employee insured in the Netherlands?
Then the rules of Dutch social security apply. This means that the employee can usually receive WIA benefits once the two years of absence have passed.
After two years, the employer's mandatory salary payment stops. The Wet Verbetering Poortwachter applies to this process.
Is the employee insured in an EU, Swiss or treaty country?
If the employee becomes disabled, the rules of the country where this employee is insured apply. The agreements in the treaty that the Netherlands has concluded with that country will then apply. The specific agreements differ per country. The agreements per country can be found on the UWV website.
The employee is insured in a non-treaty country
If the employee becomes unfit for work, the rules of the country where they are insured apply. There is therefore no right to a WIA benefit from the Netherlands.
