Transforming Disability Benefits into an Employment Instrument

This chapter addresses the key challenges and recent developments in changing the current disability benefit schemes, which are still too passive in nature, into employment-promoting policy tools. Key elements in the transformation process are a new way of assessing work capacity implemented, thus, benefit eligibility a new activation and mutual-obligations stance applied at the application phase a stronger focus on reassessments of benefit eligibility and work capacity of current or long-term benefit recipients and improved work incentives to make sure work always pays. The chapter concludes that what is needed is to bring the disability benefit scheme closer in all its aspects to existing unemployment benefit schemes and questions the need for distinguishing unemployment and disability as two distinct contingencies.