Assistance, benefits

How does it work?

A Social assistance benefit is provided by the municipality where you live. The municipality examines whether you are entitled to assistance. If you receive a Social assistance benefit , it is generally a gift. However, there may be circumstances whereby the periodic benefit is provided in the form of a loan. In that case, you must later repay the benefit provided.

To receive Social assistance benefit benefits, your income and your own assets (assets such as your house and savings) must be below the asset limit. For the amount of the assistance standard and please refer to the website of the Rijksoverheid.

The number of people in your household determines the amount of your benefit. If you live with more people in the house, you can share living expenses and your benefit will be lower. This does not apply to resident children under 27, students and commercial relations (tenants). Need more explanation? Watch the video on the Cost Sharing Standard product on this website.

Requirements

You can apply for benefits if you meet the following Requirements:

• You are 18 years of age or older (see also the topic Assistance for young people).
• You are a Dutch citizen or an equivalent. You are considered equal to a Dutch citizen if you come from an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland. You are also assimilated if you have a valid residence permit or are otherwise residing lawfully in the Netherlands (for example, if you are conducting legal proceedings against a rejection of your residence permit).
• You live or reside in the Netherlands.
• You have no or insufficient income of your own.
• You have no equity or equity that is less than the maximum amount. Think of savings or your own home. Check the rijksoverheid website for more information.
• You cannot get another benefit. For example, unemployment benefits or disability benefits.
• You are not excluded from entitlement to Social assistance benefit. This is true, for example, if you are in prison or if you are entitled to student loans.
• You must have a sufficient command of the Dutch language. This is because there is a language requirement. If you do not meet the language requirement, you must improve your command of the Dutch language.

Note!

If you are under 27, you must first apply for assistance. After reporting, you look for work or training for 4 weeks. If that is not successful, you can then apply for Social assistance benefit . In the interview with the municipality, you must then be able to demonstrate what you have done to find work or suitable training (see also the topic Assistance for young people).

Back to work

In addition to being entitled to benefits, you are also entitled to assistance in finding gainful employment (reintegration). When you receive benefits, you must apply for any generally accepted work. The work does not always have to fit your knowledge, experience and level of education. You will get serious with all the tips, recommendations (such as application activities, presentations), workshops and other support activities from the municipality and cooperating partners.

What to do.

If you want to apply for benefits, you contact the municipality by telephone. Within 2 days you will be called by your client director and a telephone intake will take place.

Work Intake

If the telephone intake shows that you need help looking for work, you will be scheduled for an in-person intake. This takes place every Thursday at City Hall.

During the intake, together with the client directors of income and reintegration, we look at whether you can work and/or are eligible for benefits. The goal is to find work as quickly as possible so that benefits are no longer needed. It is also examined whether you need temporary assistance. In addition, you will start working with benefits at the Human Development Company (MOB) immediately the following Monday and have weekly meetings with your client director to see how you are doing in finding work.

Note!

• Always report changes in your income or personal situation on time. This will prevent you from accidentally committing fraud.
• If you do not cooperate in your reintegration, if you misbehave or if you commit fraud, your benefit may be reduced or stopped. Also, the benefit provided will be reclaimed by the municipality. You may also be fined.

What do I need?

When applying for Social assistance benefit benefits, you must submit various supporting documents. Below is a (non-exhaustive) list of supporting documents you must submit in any case.

• identity documents of you and possibly your partner
• proof of your income
• proof of your debts
• Proof of your assets (assets, such as savings, car, house, stocks)‖.
• proof of your employment history (your last employer and start and end dates of your contract)
• your resume
• a copy of the certificate of registration with the UWV as a job seeker
• The completed workbook (this will be sent to you by us)

If you live with your partner and/or children under 18, you will also need proof of their income, debts and employment history.

How long does it take?

After your application is received by the municipality, the municipality has eight weeks to process your application. You will therefore receive notification of whether you will receive the benefit within eight weeks. If the municipality requests additional supporting documents, this period may be extended.

Advance

Therefore, if you apply for benefits, it may take a while before you receive money. If processing takes longer than 4 weeks, we will send you an advance. You remain entitled to advances as long as your benefit application has not been processed. You must have submitted all necessary information to the municipality. You will not receive an advance if it is immediately clear that you are not entitled to Social assistance benefit benefit. The advance is 90% of the standard applicable to you.

• If you are awarded the Social assistance benefit , the municipality will deduct the advance from your benefit.
• If you are not awarded the Social assistance benefit benefit, you must repay the advance.

Additional information

If you want more information about a benefit, you can look at the Rijksoverheid website. Here you will find information about the amount of the benefit and other information.

Legislation

Support towards work and the temporary provision of benefits is under the Participation Act. This law ensures that as many people as possible participate in society. The Participation Act merges the Work and Assistance Act, the Social Employment Act and part of the Wajong. Since January 1, 2015, municipalities have been responsible for the reintegration of people with a work limitation or a distance to the labor market.

Request

If you want to apply for benefits, contact the municipality by phone at (0475) 85 90 00 and say you want to apply for benefits. A callback request will then be made to the customer director. Within 2 days you will be called by your client director and a telephone intake will take place.

If this rough check shows that you might need help looking for work, you will be scheduled for the work intake. This takes place every Thursday at the Mens Ontwikkel Bedrijf (MOB) at the address Graaf van Loonlaan 2a 6093 BV Heythuysen. During the work intake, together with the job coach and the werkgeversservicepunt , we look at whether you can work and if so, which vacancies are available. The goal is to find work as quickly as possible so that benefits are not needed (anymore).

You will then also be assessed to see if you need temporary assistance. In addition, you will start working with benefits at the MOB immediately the following Monday and have weekly meetings with your client director to see how you are doing in finding work.