Our objections procedure is intended for situations where you really disagree with a decision we have made. For example, if your benefit application was rejected. Or, if your compensation claim for workplace adjustments was rejected as an employer.

Complaints, on the other hand, can be made if you are unhappy with a service we provided. For example, if one of our staff members was rude to you or we failed to follow a procedure properly.

Once we have received your objection, we will review your file and look at our decision again. This task will be assigned to a different UWV staff member, one who was not involved in the original decision.

This staff member will first call you to discuss your concerns with you. There are 3 possible outcomes from this conversation:

• We might conclude our initial decision was incorrect and change it.
• You might gain a clearer understanding of our decision and choose to withdraw your objection.
• We might stand by our initial decision and you might not want to withdraw your objection. We will then move onto the next stage of the objection process, which might involve an optional hearing (‘hoorzitting’).

The optional hearing gives you a chance to meet with us face-to-face. You will be able to tell us why you disagree with our decision and share information with us we might not be aware of.

There will usually be 2 UWV staff members present at the optional hearing. You are welcome to bring someone along with you for support. This can be anyone from an expert to a family member or friend.

If you would rather have someone speak on your behalf at this meeting, you can authorise them to make an objection on your behalf.

You might feel mediation offers a more effective approach in solving your objection case. A mediator helps solve issues between people, without taking sides. These mediators are often employees of our organisation.

To pursue mediation, please call your contact person for your objection case.

If you file an objection, our original decision will remain in place until we come to a conclusion about your objection. So, for example, if our decision requires you to pay us money, you will still have to do this.

Some of our decisions do not just affect the person involved, but also have financial and practical implications for the employer. This is why, in certain cases, the employer might receive a copy of an employee’s objection.

If an employer is part of the objection process, they have the right to appoint a representative. This representative will be allowed to attend the optional hearing and access documents related to the case. They will not be able to access an employee’s medical information unless they are a qualified doctor or lawyer. These medical details cannot be shared or discussed with the employer.

There might be certain costs associated with your objection. For example, you might have to spend money on legal fees or travel expenses. Make sure you check whether these expenses will be covered. Do this before a decision is made about your objection.

If your objection is valid, we will usually pay for the following:

• public transport costs if you travel second class
• travel expenses if you are unable to use public transport (this must be confirmed by an UWV physician). You will then be compensated at a rate of € 0.28 per kilometre.