Settlement agreement and unemployment: advice

Questioner

Currently working on reintegration. Due to bullying at work, working there is no longer feasible. Boss now wants to report me as better and then sign a settlement agreement with the actual end date of service at the end of April. At this point, I assume that as of May 1, I will be able to work in a different industry in an annoyingly different way. Is it wise to enter into this agreement?

Lawyer

If you still think you are ill, it is not wise to sign a settlement agreement (vso). If you expect to have recovered by then and there is a prospect of a new job, you can do this. It is wise to have this vso checked by a lawyer. I can help you with this. If desired, please contact me for free assistance.

Questioner

Thanks for your answer. I expect and hope that I can go back to work normally at the end of April. However, what if I unexpectedly have to undergo surgery and this would take place in May or June. On the same arm that I am now at home for. And I will then be on unemployment benefits, assuming I have not found another job. And if I report to the UWV at the end of May, will my right to unemployment benefits still be gone? How long will this haunt you, so to speak?

Lawyer

If you left your old employer by means of a vso and you become ill at your new employer, you must report sick there and you are entitled to a sickness benefit. If you ended up in the ww after the vso and you became ill, you are entitled to the ww for the first 13 weeks. Only then will you go into the sickness benefit.