Your employer announces that you need to start reintegrating externally. But is the timing right? The correct start moment determines whether track 2 helps you or harms your position.
Reintegration runs in two tracks. Track 1 is return with your current employer. Track 2 is reintegration with a different employer. Dutch law does not prescribe a fixed start date for track 2, but in practice UWV uses the first-year evaluation around week 52 as a key assessment point.
This means: around the first year of illness, it must be clear whether return to the current employer is realistic. If not, track 2 must be started — or demonstrably already running. But "around week 52" is not a hard deadline. The right start moment depends on your medical situation, the possibilities with your employer, and the quality of the reintegration file.
Not without valid reason. You must cooperate reasonably (art. 7:660a Dutch Civil Code). But the track must fit your limitations and the company doctor must confirm it is appropriate. Refuse in writing with reference to the company doctor's assessment, and consider requesting a UWV expert opinion.
Some employers use track 2 not to help you find work, but to tick a box for UWV. If the programme has no customisation, the agency barely contacts you, and the plan doesn't match your background — document this in writing and consider raising a reintegration dispute.
If you refuse to cooperate with a reasonable track 2 without valid grounds, your employer can impose a salary stop. But the instruction must be specific and in writing, you must have received a warning, and the work must fit within your medical capacity.
MediRights helps employees who are stuck in an employment conflict due to illness. We guide cases with concrete legal steps.
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