Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke wants individuals receiving disability benefits for over a year to undergo a new medical assessment before their benefits are extended, reports De Standaard.
Currently, nearly 300,000 people are on long-term sick leave in Belgium until retirement, a number Vandenbroucke aims to reduce with what he calls a “small revolution.”
Under the new proposal, anyone receiving disability benefits beyond 12 months would need to file a completely new medical application to continue receiving payments.
The evaluation will be conducted “from a blank slate” based on an assessment made by a doctor and will then be repeated yearly.
Exceptions will apply to individuals who are fully incapacitated or undergoing intensive treatment, such as for cancer.
Though exact figures are not yet available, more than 100,000 of the 300,000 long-term recipients are expected to face new evaluations.
Vandenbroucke acknowledges that reactivating long-term sick leave recipients and reducing the billions spent on allowances could significantly benefit Belgium’s social security system.
He estimates potential long-term savings of hundreds of millions of euros, although he insists financial considerations are not his primary concern.
