Measures related to the improvement of the Actual Injury Commission (CWS)

> Return address P.O. Box 20201 2500 EE The HagueChairman of the House of Representatives General P.O. Box 200182500 EA THE HAGUeDate September 7, 2023Subject Measures regarding CWS Dear Chairman, The aim of the cabinet is to help parents affected by the problems with the childcare allowance to get a fresh start as quickly and as well as possible. They now often have to wait too long for a comprehensive assessment and compensation of additional actual damage and need accelerated clarity. Earlier this year, acceleration measures were therefore announced to, among other things, improve and accelerate the comprehensive assessment and processing of requests for compensation for additional actual damage. This also requires adjustments from the Actual Damage Commission (CWS). This committee plays an important role in dealing with requests for compensation for additional damage. At the same time, the number of parents who have been helped there is lagging behind the government's wishes for this.The cabinet has previously asked ABDTopConsult for advice1. In line with the recommendations, and with the aim of allowing the CWS to best help parents with complex and extensive damage, in particular, the cabinet is taking a number of measures that are further explained in this letter. The urgency to make the recovery operation run better and faster is great. That is why the progress report for the fourth quarter of 20222 shared an extensive package of acceleration measures including the comprehensive assessment with the House. In addition, in June 2023, the option for parents was announced for a more granular route for requests for compensation for additional damage.3 In this new damage route, making causality and damage plausible is implemented in a different way and uses standard (lump sum) amounts. This also requires acceleration and improvement by the Actual Damage Commission (CWS). Because the CWS has an important role for parents who do not choose the alternative damage route, but choose to receive an individual, more detailed claim calculation. It is necessary to ensure the coherence between the damage routes as well as possible and to continue to focus on strengthening the CWS.DG Recovery Policy ProgrammeKorte Voorhout 7 2511 CW The Hague P.O. Box 20201 2500 EE The Haguewww.rijksoverheid.nl/finOur feature2023-0000198021Your letter (attribute) Attachments(none)¹ Parliamentary Papers II, 2022—23, 31066, No. 1111.² Parliamentary Papers II, 2022—23, 31066, No. 1165.³ Parliamentary Documents II, 2020/23, 31066, No. 1234. Page 1 of 3With regard to the desired acceleration and improvement at the CWS, the cabinet first wants the necessary capacity and targeted expertise to be arranged. A second objective is to increase parents' satisfaction with the treatment by involving parents earlier and more intensively and by offering them the opportunity to express their views. This also aims to significantly reduce the objection rate. Thirdly, the aim is to make up for the backlogs, to shorten the processing time of a file and to ensure that UHT's obligation to provide information can be fulfilled as marginally as possible. Unfortunately, these objectives are in contrast to the results so far. The queue has grown to around 1,350 parents. The average number of recommendations issued per week fell compared to 2022, while the number of committee members increased and the total organization size has also almost doubled. Among the approximately 380 recommendations issued, around 50% of the parents object to the decision, which further burdens the recovery operation. Earlier, the cabinet ordered ABDTopConsult to carry out a QuickScan, as a result of which various improvement measures have already been initiated. At the end of June 2023, the CWS delivered its Five-Point Plan, about which the House asked the cabinet for a response via the Azarkan4 motion. Despite the fact that the committee made a considerable effort to draw up this improvement plan, the further elaboration presented at the end of August does not provide sufficient guidance on whether the set goals will actually be achieved. Finally, the plan still clings too much to the CWS as central executor, while the cabinet's choice of alternative damage routes means that certain tasks such as route advice and queue management are organized elsewhere. In order to help affected parents as quickly as possible, the cabinet considers it necessary to make adjustments to the structure and composition of the committee. That is why the cabinet intends to appoint a new chairman with the task of shaping the redesign of the committee, to appoint an operational director to improve the strength of the CWS organization, and to adjust the composition of the committee in order to increase the involvement of committee members in terms of the number of hours and to achieve a more effective cooperation that is necessary to catch up. The intention is a new one as chairman to instruct the formation of a new committee and to adjust the plans in the short term so that they are in line with the objectives and with the other measures used for acceleration and improvement. This chairman should be given perseverance to break impasses when votes are tied and to resolve personal matters. In order to promote continuity as much as possible and not to keep parents whose file is already being processed waiting unnecessarily, the cabinet wants to call on the current committee members to continue to perform their duties for at least the intervening period. The aim is that parents should be affected as little as possible from the adjustments to the CWS.DG Recovery Policy programmeOur feature2023-0000198021⁴ Parliamentary Documents II, 2002/23, 31066, No. 1261. Page 2 of 3The chairman will be supported by an operational director who will focus on managing the internal organization and operations. This director will support the organization in terms of operations, housing and staff, and will report to the ministry together with the chairman. In the adapted structure at the CWS, the (civil) claims lawyers will be managed by an operational director, responsible for preparing the calculations while the committee members play a testing and framework role. In addition, the intention is that the committee ensures consistent legal views on which the claims lawyers base their calculations. The intention is thus to change the number of committee members from the current 10 to a maximum of 5 members (including chairman) with more hours. This division of tasks should ensure a more efficient way of working and, together with increased availability during office hours, mean that more parents can be helped more quickly. The institutional arrangement will be adjusted for these changes this month. This adjustment is also in line with the recommendations of AbdTopConsult. With the proposed changes in the structure and organization of the CWS explained in this letter, the cabinet wants to ensure that (the way of working) the committee is better suited to what parents need within the changing system of damage routes. The cabinet is very grateful to the current chairman and committee members for their contribution to the recovery operation.Sincerely, the Secretary of State for Finance - Surcharges and Customs, Aukje de VriesDG Recovery Policy programmeOur feature2023-0000198021Page 3 of 3