8286946 Income trajectories of long-term sick-listed employees before and after a disability claim decision

<h3>Objective</h3> Long-term sickness absence (LTSA) can negatively affect the employee’s income, leading to more health problems due to financial stress. This affects people in adverse situations more. Therefore, LTSA impacts individuals and society, creating a public health problem. More knowledge is needed about which group(s) of employees are the most vulnerable to financial consequences after a disability claim decision. Therefore, we investigated monthly income trajectories of long-term sick-listed employees in The Netherlands, before and after a disability claim decision. <h3>Material and Methods</h3> Pseudonymized data on a disability claim decision from the Dutch Employee Insurance Agency were used from 32,647 long-term sick-listed employees with a claim decision in 2017. These data were linked to income records from Statistics Netherlands two years before and after the decision. Group-based trajectory modelling was applied to identify income trajectories over time. Sex, age, disability claim decision, and type of disease are used as explanatory variables of trajectory membership. <h3>Results</h3> Preliminary results identified three similar income trajectories starting at € 1,360, € 2,680 and € 4430. Income stays stable in the first six months of sick leave, then slightly declines with a little peak around the disability claim decision after two years. A decline before recovery close to the starting income follows. Males, middle- and older-aged people, those partially disabled with a good chance of recovery and with a physical disability tend to fall in the middle- and high income groups. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Similar income trajectories were observed across groups with recovery near baseline income, reflecting income security within the Dutch system. Persistently low income were found among females, younger individuals, those without a disability benefit or with full disability and those with psychological disorders identifying them as vulnerable groups. This highlights the need for greater equity not only during sickness but in society as a whole. <h3>Funding</h3> This work, conducted within a project to improve reintegration of long-term sick-listed employees, was supported by funding of ZonMW.