What is 1st track reintegration?

First-track reintegration is everything employer and employee do to get someone back to work within their own organisation after illness. It starts on the first day of sick leave and runs for as long as wages continue to be paid. The original role comes first, then that role with adjustments, and only then other work within the company. This is not a voluntary effort but a duty under the Gatekeeper Improvement Act. To see how this track relates to the other two, read the difference between track 1, 2 and 3.

The order within track 1

Track 1 follows a fixed order, and that order is not a formality. UWV checks afterwards whether each step was seriously explored before the next one came up.

1. Back into the original role. Possibly on reduced hours, with a build-up schedule.
2. The original role with adjustments. Different hours, tasks taken away, an adapted workstation or aids.
3. Other suitable work within the organisation. Including at another site or in another unit, where that can reasonably be asked.

Only when those three produce too little does second-track reintegration come into view: work with another employer.

The steps in weeks

The law runs on weeks, counted from the first day of sick leave.

• Week 6: the company doctor produces the problem analysis, with capacity for work and the outlook for recovery.
• Week 8: employer and employee record the action plan together, with goals and evaluation moments.
• Every six weeks: evaluate and adjust the plan if the situation changes.
• Week 42: the employer reports the long-term absence to UWV.
• Week 52: the first-year evaluation.
• Week 104: the obligation to continue paying wages ends, unless UWV imposes a wage sanction.

Does track 1 stop when track 2 begins?

No, and that misunderstanding regularly costs time. The first-year evaluation around week 52 is the moment at which it has to become clear whether a return within the organisation is still realistic. If it is not, track 2 should start. But track 1 is not closed off by that.

The two tracks run alongside each other until the end of the two years of illness. If capacity improves, or a suitable role does come free internally, a return to the current employer remains the preferred route. That is also exactly why track 2 may start earlier than week 52: you keep both routes open instead of making one wait for the other.

What counts as suitable work within the organisation?

Suitable work is work that matches the capacity the company doctor establishes and that can reasonably be asked of the employee. That is broader than “the same job, but easier”, and narrower than “whatever happens to be available”.

Two examples. A nurse who can no longer manage night shifts but can work during the day may find suitable work on a ward with a different rota, or in a role covering planning and coordination. A mechanic with a permanent shoulder limitation may be able to move into work preparation or quality control, provided the work is largely seated and without overhead lifting.

If you are unsure whether internal options remain, an occupational expert assessment gives a substantiated answer. That assessment is also the document with which you can later show why track 2 was needed.

What do employer and employee have to do?

The duty rests with both, from day one.

The employer engages an occupational health service or company doctor in good time, puts a concrete plan in place with steps and evaluation moments, and records what happens. If the employer does too little, UWV can impose a wage sanction: up to 52 weeks of additional wage payment.

The employee cooperates with reasonable instructions, attends appointments with the company doctor and accepts suitable work when it is offered. Where that does not happen, the employer can suspend or stop paying wages. That has to be announced first. If employer and employee disagree about what counts as suitable, an expert opinion from UWV can settle it.

When should you bring in help?

Many employers run track 1 themselves, and that works perfectly well. External help is mainly useful when:

• employer and employee see what is still possible differently;
• the process stalls or keeps being postponed;
• there is little internal experience with the gatekeeper requirements;
• the file is untidy and does not show what was done.

That last point weighs more than it looks. At the WIA application UWV assesses what was undertaken, and what was not recorded does not count.

Summary: what is first-track reintegration?

• Goal: a return to work within the organisation itself
• Order: the original role, then adapted work, then another role within the company
• Start: the first day of sick leave
• Fixed moments: problem analysis in week 6, action plan in week 8, evaluation every six weeks, report to UWV in week 42, first-year evaluation around week 52
• Duration: until the end of continued wage payment, so up to 104 weeks
• Alongside track 2: track 1 continues once track 2 starts

More information at UWV

The official rules and current amounts or deadlines are at UWV on reintegration. These can change, so always check them at the source for a specific situation.

Guidance with reintegration

Care4Careers guides employers and employees through reintegration, from the first track through to the second. Would you like to know what is possible in your situation? Get in touch without obligation.