You will meet with the UWV physician ('verzekeringsarts') no later than 13 weeks after you have reported sick. The UWV physician will discuss your symptoms with you, and determine what you can and cannot do in terms of your health. They will make an evaluation which will set out the steps you need to take to get well and back to work. 

Please note: If the UWV physician decides that you cannot work at all, either now or in the future, you will be able to submit an early application for a WIA benefit. You can submit your application to us if you have been ill for between 13 and 68 weeks.

After meeting with the UWV physician, and no later than 15 weeks after you have reported sick, you and the return-to-work counsellor will draw up an action plan together. This will be about 2 weeks after the UWV physician has drawn up their evaluation. The action plan will contain all the agreements you made together to help you get back to work as soon as possible.

In the action plan, you and your return-to-work counsellor record the following agreements: 

• How you are recovering and preparing to return to work. 
• Whether you need to apply for jobs, how often, and what kind of work you can apply for. 
• How you will accept work that fits your knowledge, skills, situation and health. We decide what is suitable, and this can change over time. 
• What support you can get from us to help you return to work (in Dutch). 
• How often you have contact with your return-to-work counsellor (in Dutch). 
• What you think of the action plan and the agreements made.

Please note: If you are an employment agency worker ('uitzendkracht'), there will be extra agreements. The employment agency you last worked for will help you find suitable work. 

If you have been ill for around 44 weeks, you might need to have a sickness benefit evaluation to see whether you are still entitled to a sickness benefit. This will be necessary if one of the following situations apply: 

• If you are able to earn more than 65% of what someone with your education and work experience earns doing the same job. 
• If your employment contract ends after week 44 of your illness and you are entitled to a sickness benefit.

During the sickness benefit evaluation, you will have an interview with the UWV physician. If they find you are still too ill to work, your sickness benefits will continue. If the UWV physician finds that you are able to work, you will then be invited for an interview with the occupational disability employment counsellor ('arbeidsdeskundige'). They will assess what kind of work you can currently do, what you might be able to earn and whether you are still entitled to a sickness benefit.

Both the UWV physician and the occupational disability employment counsellor will make reports of their meetings with you. These reports will be sent to your home. You will also receive a decision stating whether your sickness benefits will stop, or continue.

If you are still unfit for work after 88 weeks (about 18 months), you will receive a letter from us with instructions on how to apply for a WIA benefit. The letter will also state which date you need to submit your application by, so please make sure you keep this document safe.