Legislation
The Wet verbetering poortwachter (WvP), the Dutch Gatekeeper Improvement Act, requires employer and employee to work together on recovery and return to work from the first day of sick leave. It sets fixed steps and deadlines, from the probleemanalyse (problem analysis) in week 6 to the WIA benefit application around week 91, and reviews afterwards whether both parties did enough.
Timeline
The key steps and statutory deadlines during long-term absence, from sick report to WIA application.
The employee reports sick and the employer records the first day of illness. All WvP deadlines run from this day.
The employer notifies the arbodienst or company doctor within a week, so that guidance starts on time.
The company doctor draws up the probleemanalyse: the limitations, the possibilities and the outlook for recovery and return to work. It is the basis for the whole process, and a late or thin problem analysis is the most common reason for a loonsanctie (wage sanction).
Employer and employee jointly draw up a plan of action based on the problem analysis: which steps, which goals and who does what towards return to work.
Employer and employee evaluate progress at least every six weeks and adjust the plan of action where needed. The case manager guards the deadlines and the file.
The employer reports the long-term absence to the UWV (benefits agency) in the 42nd week. This notification is mandatory and missing it can lead to a fine.
Employer and employee review the first year of illness and set the course for the second year. If return to the employee's own work is unlikely, the second track (re-integration with another employer) comes into play.
The UWV informs the employee about the WIA application. Employer and employee compile the re-integration report, covering all efforts made and the full file.
The employee applies for WIA benefits by week 93 at the latest, including the re-integration report. The UWV uses this to assess whether employer and employee made sufficient re-integration efforts.
After two years of illness the obligation to continue paying wages ends in principle. If the UWV judges that the employer did too little on re-integration, a loonsanctie follows: up to a year of extra wage payment.
Deadlines are indicative and based on the standard WvP timeline; consult the UWV or your occupational health service for the exact dates in a specific case.
Roles
The Gatekeeper Improvement Act places obligations on four parties. Together they are responsible for a demonstrable, timely absence process.
Responsible for absence guidance, the plan of action, demonstrable re-integration efforts and a complete file. Bears the wage payment and the risk of a loonsanctie.
Required to actively cooperate with recovery and re-integration, contribute to the plan of action and accept suitable work.
Assesses limitations and possibilities, draws up the problem analysis and advises on workload and return to work. Works under medical confidentiality.
Guards the statutory deadlines and the file, coordinates the process and supports employer and employee in carrying it out.
Pitfalls
Most wage sanctions stem not from unwillingness but from deadlines and documentation that slip under capacity pressure.
Where Triagen fits
Most WvP risk arises at the start: too little context and too little time for a timely, well-founded problem analysis. That is where AI triage sits.
For more on how that automated intake works, read What is AI triage for occupational health services?.
Frequently asked questions
The Wet verbetering poortwachter (WvP), the Dutch Gatekeeper Improvement Act, is the law requiring employer and employee to actively work together on recovery and return to work during illness. It sets fixed steps and deadlines and reviews afterwards, at the WIA application, whether both parties made sufficient re-integration efforts.
The core deadlines are: the problem analysis by the company doctor by week 6, the plan of action by week 8, an evaluation at least every 6 weeks, the week-42 notification to the UWV, the first-year evaluation around week 52, and the WIA application around weeks 91 to 93. After 104 weeks the obligation to continue paying wages ends in principle.
The probleemanalyse (problem analysis) is the document in which the company doctor describes the sick employee's limitations, possibilities and recovery outlook. It must be ready by week 6 after the first day of illness and forms the basis for the plan of action. A late or incomplete problem analysis is a common cause of a loonsanctie.
You avoid a loonsanctie (wage sanction) by meeting the deadlines and documenting re-integration efforts demonstrably: a timely problem analysis, a suitable and adjusted plan of action, periodic evaluations and, where needed, a timely second track. At the WIA application the UWV mainly assesses whether you did enough and whether the file shows it.
The week-42 notification is the mandatory notification with which the employer registers a long-term sick employee with the UWV in the 42nd week of illness. It is mandatory, and doing it late or not at all can lead to a fine.
AI triage moves the first substantive intake from days to minutes and gives the company doctor a structured file before the problem analysis. This makes that problem analysis more timely and better founded, records signals earlier, and creates the documentation that makes a process gatekeeper-proof — without extra pressure on the employee.
More on tackling absence? Read about insight into absence causes · See the full FAQ.
A 30-minute demo shows how a structured intake helps you meet the WvP deadlines and keep documentation in order — alongside your existing systems.
