Mutuelles lose €1.2 million on long-term sick leave

Belgium’s "mutuelles" – social security companies that give out sickness and health payments – had €1.2 million in government funding withheld in 2023, because they did not do enough to help the long-term sick back to work, according to newly published figures from outgoing federal health minister Frank Vandenbroucke.

The figures reveal that almost half a million Belgians have been signed off work for more than a year. Faced with this situation, the outgoing Alexander De Croo government has drawn up a "Back to Work" plan, which includes sanctions for those who do not cooperate sufficiently in their reintegration.

The plan targets not only employers and workers, but also the mutuelle insurance companies themselves, that pay benefits to and support the long-term sick. These firms can lose part of their funding if they do not take on certain tasks, which was the case, for the first time, last year.

Socialist mutuelles were refused the largest amount, with €822,000, followed by the "free" mutualités libres (€214,000) and the mutuelle libérale (€193,000). On the other hand, there were no financial consequences for the Christian and "neutral" mutuelles.

Meanwhile, research by human resources company Acerta Consult has revealed that 60% of federal public services reported an increase in absences lasting more than seven days. Absenteeism was already at a record rate of 6.71% in 2023, the highest since measurements began in 2009.

Stress-related mental health issues are the leading cause (40%) of workplace absence, noted the survey conducted with the ministry of strategy and support (Bosa), interviewing 200 human resources managers between late September and mid-October.

This follows an earlier report stating mental and musculoskeletal disorders are the main causes of illness-based absenteeism. These are the findings of a study conducted by IDEWE, the external service for prevention and protection at work, and the Acerta social secretariat, looking at more than 50,000 Belgian workers between 2018 and 2022.

According to Acerta, about four in 10 workers in the Belgian system were absent due to short-term illness (less than a month) in 2024.