Avéro Achmea · compared independently · advice from Finass
Sickness absence insurance through Avéro Achmea
Sickness absence insurance (verzuimverzekering) absorbs the continued payment of wages during the first two years of illness and links reintegration guidance to it.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert. nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
We compare the offerings of several insurers
An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
As an employer you continue to pay a sick employee's wages for up to 104 weeks. A sickness absence insurance covers part of those wage costs after an agreed excess period, expressed in waiting days. There are two forms: conventional, where payment is made per sick employee, and stop loss, where payment is only made once your company's total absence exceeds a threshold you bear yourself.
Compulsory services are almost always attached to the policy: an occupational health service, a company doctor and case management. That is not a side issue. The Gatekeeper Improvement Act imposes a fixed process on you and the employee, with a problem analysis, a plan of action and, if necessary, a second-track programme. An employer who goes through that process carelessly risks a wage sanction.
Avéro Achmea provides this product. We compare the percentage of cover, the number of waiting days, whether employer's contributions on top of the gross wage are covered as well, and which occupational health services are prescribed as compulsory.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Basic cover
The basic cover insures the essentials. We show what Avéro Achmea and other insurers offer here.
Continued payment of wages during illness
Statutory 2 years
Insured annual wage per employee
Chosen percentage of cover
Extended cover
Alongside continued payment of wages, also absence guidance, reintegration and employer's contributions.
Employer's contributions & case management
Absence guidance & occupational health service
Prevention budget
Prevention budget can be covered
Complete package
The most complete cover. We compare Avéro Achmea's extended versions with the market.
Wet verbetering poortwachter (the Dutch Gatekeeper Improvement Act)
Stop-loss variant
WGA own risk & WIA top-up
All other absence costs
What is covered
Situation
Basic
With extension
Permanent disability after an accident
Yes
Yes
Death caused by an accident
Yes
Yes
Incapacity for work due to illness
No
Provided that
Continued payment of wages during sickness absence
No
Provided that
Reintegration and guidance
Provided that
Yes
Complaints that already existed when the policy was taken out
No
No
With accident and income cover, the definition of «accident» or «incapacity for work» determines what is paid out, together with the waiting period, the end age and the occupational profile. A condition that already existed or was known when the policy was taken out is usually excluded; non-disclosure can affect the payout (Articles 7:928 and 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code).
What we do
What we do
At Finass
Direct with Avéro Achmea
Comparison across several insurers
Yes
No
Advice based on your own situation
Yes
Sometimes
One point of contact for claims
Yes
Sometimes
Cancellation with your current insurer arranged
Yes
No
We determine whether Avéro Achmea is the best choice
Yes
No
Advice fees for you as a customer
No
No
This overview concerns our service, not the cover. What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and on the insurer's insurance card (verzekeringskaart); you receive both before you take out cover.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Conventional or stop loss
With conventional cover you receive a payment per sick employee as soon as the waiting days have passed. That gives a predictable cash flow and suits smaller employers, for whom one long-term sick employee already weighs heavily. Stop-loss cover only pays out above a claims threshold you bear yourself across the whole workforce and is therefore cheaper, but you bear ordinary absence yourself. That choice determines the premium more than any other factor.
Waiting days are your own risk
The excess period at the start of every case of illness determines how much short-term absence you bear yourself. Flu, a sprained ankle and a few sick days a year therefore fall outside the payment. The more waiting days you choose, the lower the premium, but the greater the amount you pay yourself in a normal absence year. Weigh that against the absence pattern you have actually had in recent years.
The Gatekeeper Act and the wage sanction
If the UWV finds after two years that you have done too little on reintegration, it can extend the continued payment of wages by a sanction period. That extension is not covered by the insurer: it is a consequence of your own failure to act. The obligation to act as a good employer (Article 7:611 of the Dutch Civil Code) also plays a part here. So keep the file up to date from the first day of illness and follow the company doctor's advice.
What falls outside the cover
Pregnancy and maternity leave runs through a WAZO benefit from the UWV and not through this policy. Employees who were already ill when the insurance started are excluded until they have recovered. After 104 weeks the cover ends: entry into the WGA is a separate risk for which there is separate insurance. Wage costs of employees covered by the no-risk policy are also already compensated through the UWV.
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Retroactive cover (prior risk) Included for your staff during work.
Defence & legal costs
What does your premium depend on?
Payroll and workforce. The total insured wage bill is the basis on which the premium is calculated.
Form chosen. Conventional or stop loss is the biggest choice; stop loss means bearing more absence yourself.
Number of waiting days. More waiting days means a lower premium and more short-term absence at your own expense.
Percentage of cover and employer's contributions. Whether only the gross wage or the social security contributions as well are covered changes the premium.
Sector and nature of the work. Physically demanding work or shift work leads to a different absence pattern from office work.
Your own absence history. The absence of recent years and the age structure of the workforce are taken into account.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
How long must I continue to pay a sick employee's wages?
In principle for up to 104 weeks, spread over two years of illness, with the percentage in the second year usually lower than in the first. What you must pay exactly is set out in the employment contract or the collective labour agreement and may be above the statutory minimum. The sickness absence insurance connects to that. So have your collective agreement terms taken into account with the application.
Is a wage sanction from the UWV covered?
No. If the UWV extends the obligation to continue paying wages because you have done too little on reintegration, that is a consequence of your own conduct and not of illness. That period remains at your expense. The package does usually include guidance by an occupational health service and a case manager, precisely to prevent the file falling short at the assessment.
What happens after two years of sickness?
The continued payment of wages then ends and the UWV assesses the application for a WIA benefit. If the employee enters the WGA, that can affect your differentiated contribution or, if you bear your own risk, your own costs. That is a different risk from sickness absence and calls for separate WGA insurance. The absence policy stops at that point.
Can I insure an employee who is ill right now?
No. Cases of illness existing at the start are excluded until the person concerned has fully recovered and has been back at work for an agreed period. There is no point in withholding information: the duty of disclosure under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code applies to the application, and an incorrect statement can lead to a reduced or refused payment at the time of a claim.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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