Healthcare workers with long-term post-COVID complaints will receive more financial support

The amount will be increased to € 24,010 and the demarcation of the period in the scheme will be extended

With the ‘Care employees with long-term post-COVID complaints’ scheme, the government has paid a one-off payment of € 15,000 per person to a group of care workers with long-term post-COVID complaints in 2023. The government wants to acknowledge the suffering that these healthcare workers face on a daily basis. Following calls from the House of Representatives and society, it was decided to expand this scheme. The amount will be increased to €24,010 and the demarcation of the period in the scheme will be extended. This also means that healthcare employees who reported sick at work between July 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 are also eligible.

The ‘Care employees with long-term post-COVID complaints’ scheme is expected to be opened a second time at the beginning of the summer. Healthcare workers with long-term post-COVID complaints who had not yet submitted an application in the autumn of 2023 can then still do so. This also applies to healthcare workers who were previously not eligible. It will become clear in the short term exactly when the scheme will be opened and how healthcare workers can submit an application. Healthcare employees who previously received the amount of € 15,000 are of course also entitled to an increase in the amount. They do not have to submit an application again.

Except for the demarcation of the period in which healthcare employees are reported sick at work, nothing changes to the conditions. The scheme is intended for healthcare workers who:

• provided frequent and intensive care to COVID-19 patients during their work in the period from March 1 to December 31, 2020 and/or were closely involved in that care during their work;
• reported sick at work during this period;
• have had long-term post-COVID complaints for more than 2 years and as a result are no longer able to (fully) carry out their own work.

Source: National government

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