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Dutch minister Hans Vijlbrief says he has growing doubts about suspending penalty payments to people kept waiting for disability benefit decisions.
What has changed? · 04/10/2026, 12:57 UTC
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Speaking on the television programme Buitenhof on Sunday, Vijlbrief said he was increasingly doubtful about the proposed suspension. He argued that ending the payments temporarily would ease the UWV’s administrative burden and keep it out of legal proceedings over the penalties. But he also worried that people waiting for decisions could feel they had nowhere to assert their rights. [1]
People can receive a payment when the UWV takes too long to decide a WIA application. Vijlbrief had proposed suspending those payments temporarily because of substantial backlogs. The Council for the Judiciary had earlier advised him not to introduce the bill, warning that it would weaken legal protection for people awaiting a decision, ANP reported. [1]
Vijlbrief said he would reconsider the measure and speak with the House of Representatives. [1]
1 listed sources · explore evidence, limitations and provenance.
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