WIA benefit is the disability benefit that may start after 104 weeks of illness. The UWV assesses how much the employee can still earn with their limitations and compares that with their previous earnings.
Legal basis
The Work and Income according to Labour Capacity Act contains two schemes. IVA applies to full and permanent incapacity and amounts to seventy-five per cent of the daily wage. WGA applies to partial capacity, or full but non-permanent incapacity, with first a wage-related benefit and then either a wage supplement or a follow-up benefit, the difference turning on whether the employee uses at least half of their remaining earning capacity. The threshold is a thirty-five per cent loss of earning capacity; below that there is no entitlement and the employee in principle remains employed. The assessment is made by an insurance physician and a labour expert, who identify roles from which remaining earning capacity is calculated. The government is preparing a reform of the system; it had not taken effect by mid-2026.
How it works in practice
The claim is filed in week 93 with the reintegration report. An objection can be lodged within six weeks, after which a separate insurance physician reviews the case. For the employer the outcome matters financially: an employer bearing its own WGA risk pays the benefit itself, and otherwise it feeds into the differentiated premium.
Where it goes wrong
Employees let the objection period lapse because they first want a second opinion. A second error is not supplying medical information from treating practitioners, leaving the insurance physician with an incomplete picture. Third, the identified roles are rarely challenged on the merits, even though the calculation rests on them.
Related terms
The benefit follows the sick pay obligation and the Gatekeeper Improvement Act; the UWV dismissal procedure may follow.
Do you disagree with the assessment? Our employment law specialists conduct the objection.
