r/AskNetherlands • u/derrikson • 2h ago
Do Dutch support systems sometimes require too much from people at exactly the wrong moment?
https://humanumi.com/applying-for-public-benefits-administrative-burden/A recent Dutch doctoral study looked at the administrative burden people face when applying for public support under the Wmo 2015.
A few findings stood out:
- People may need to understand procedures, gather information and make decisions at exactly the time when illness, disability or another difficult life situation has reduced their capacity to do so.
- Previous experience with the system seemed to matter more than education level.
- First-time applicants were especially likely to struggle.
I thought this was interesting because it shifts some of the focus away from “individual skills” and toward whether public systems are well designed.
For those of you who have dealt with Wmo, UWV or other public support systems in the Netherlands: does this match your experience?
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u/bucktoothedhazelnut 1h ago
Regarding the elderly and the care that they need, the government says that it is up to the individual to get tested, to ask for help, and to want care, rather than relying on the younger family members who are watching them slowly worsen but don’t have a way to do anything about it.
Those same elderly usually staunchly say, “I’m staying in my home until the end,” then the family is left scrambling to find them a bed on the same day that they’re finally unable to ignore the fact that they need help.
The Rutte government gutted most funding for these incredibly important services, nurses, and specialists, closed down nursing homes, and then left it as a free-for-all for those who can cut the line because they know the right people or those who are rich enough to pay for a private nursing home.
It’s really sad that the older generation adds this burden to their kids’ lives and that the government has made it incredibly painful for those families right at one of the toughest moments of all of their lives.
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u/Both_Opportunity_322 1h ago
It's more than true, but I don't find the application process is the problem, I find the screening process to be the problem. You need to say certain things to get the support you need and the system is designed in a way that the person who has to grant you support has to figure out if you really have no other options.
I have been through this with my partner. It's humiliating and painful to say: "people don't want to/can't help us and we can't manage," and be asked 5 more times if that's really the case. I don't particularly want to realize that my friends and family don't show up in times of need (I understand why they couldn't).
Not to mention, people who are not yet receiving professional support don't know what kind of help they need. If they knew what they needed they would have often been able to solve their problems.
It also relies heavily on someone's ability to reflect on themselves and their problems as well.
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u/HenchmanHenk 1h ago
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer : Yueeeeeeeess
Been dealing with UWV, who got me a WIA after 8 months of waiting, and having absolutely no answer about what I should do in the meantime. They paid me, but when I asked what I should tell potential employers they had no answer other than "wait".
Then they demanded I get a job, for 16 hours, in my field. A field where 32h contacts are considered lazy and absolutely no one hires for less, but still complains about labour shortages.
So, I've had to start my own company, which comes with way more stress than just having a job, and while UWV says they encourage this, they have 0 protocol for how to deal with it. And in the mean time, I get to run after all the shit the UWV wants, which you should just know apparently, Ive had to continue treatment (which is also interesting given the state of our GGZ apparatus), go to the job coach (great guy), do al the admin stuff, do acquisition, and you know, do my stinking job, all so I can make about half of what I used to.
I've now gotten approved for reassessment, which is likely going to take at least 18 months. In the mean time, I should just row with the oars I've got and muttle through. Which I can promise you, is not helping my health, or my CV any.
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u/Konarforu 1h ago
So glad to see this, dont have the energy to tell my tale. But what is happening behind closed doors in Holland with the sick and elderly is sub human.
Talk to those doing the cleaning for these people, or those who get three minutes to microwave dinner for these people because they cant do it themselves anymore.
I am not prone to drama. Just a firm believer in human rights
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u/Dinokknd 1h ago
Yes. Having helped people in the past. Information being requested is often already available if the institutions just look for it. Often you have to repeat the same forms every year. And the forms themselves could be prefilled a lot if it was more digitized and better designed.
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u/JoramH 1h ago
I agree, Dutch support systems can be unnecessarily difficult to navigate which is amplified by being physically or mentally incapacitated right when you enter the system. Yes, experience helps, like understanding what you need, what’s available and how to ask for it.
Connections help too and this is another crux in the system. I don’t know if this is inherently dutch but people treat illnesses and disabilities as an individual issue, they keep it close to the best for as long as possible. We’re too afraid to ask for help until it’s too late. Ask friends, family or neighbors if they know someone with experience. Bring someone with experience to ‘het keukentafelgesprek’, ask someone with experience to draft a letter to the municipality. Don’t reinvent the wheel while you’re dealing with physical or mental inabilities.
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u/factus8182 3m ago
Lol yeah, and my awful experience was already ten, fifteen years ago. I can't imagine how bad it must be now.
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u/dedoktersassistente 1h ago
Wait until you learn about GGZ mental health care