The way UWV conducts disability assessments is substandard. In more than half of the cases, the studies were not carefully conducted, medical data were not consulted or conclusions about the employability of the subjects were incorrect. Which Writes Mwho is responsible for the internal investigation by UWV.

According to the newspaper, this internal investigation shows that in a sample of 239 files, the restriction of working hours was not properly tested in half of the cases.

Restricting hours means that UWV checks how many hours people can still work. This determines their level of disability.

When assessing this, medical data was not always requested or it was not clear whether the insurance physician had conducted the appropriate investigation.

Negligence occurs mainly with telephone assessments. These are often used for re-inspections. In 80% of cases, the final ruling was found to be not credible, AD writes. Many relatively neglected evaluations are also performed among people with psychiatric disorders.

UWV confirms to NOS that the sample did show negligence in many cases. However, according to the Benefits Agency, this does not necessarily mean that the actual assessment was incorrect.

The insurance physician conducting evaluations must operate in accordance with UWV guidelines and report accordingly. The UWV says the arguments in these reports are “not always broad”, partly because of the workload doctors have to face. According to the UWV, this should not necessarily lead to incorrect assessments because the doctor may have taken other steps to get a good picture, such as talking with the client for a longer period.

The agency says it trusts the doctors’ professionalism. He added: “Although of course the intention was to adhere to administrative directives, this does not mean that the doctors did not do their job properly.” UWV says documentation must be improved. People who are not satisfied with the ruling can appeal. Their case will then be re-evaluated.