Frequently asked questions disability insurance

VU Amsterdam has taken out a group insurance for partial disability for its employees. As such, VU Amsterdam is the policyholder and you do not receive an individual policy.

To get an additional insurance for a full disability coverage as well, you take out an insurance policy with Loyalis yourself (online). This makes you the policyholder for this part of the insurance. In doing so, you will of course benefit from the group insurance discount. Once you have applied for the insurance, Loyalis will send you the policy, your insurance card and the policy conditions. Between the application and the start of the insurance, you are already covered for disability in case of an accident.

Loyalis disability insurance has two coverages: partial disability coverage (35-80%) and full disability coverage (80-100%).

If you have taken out both insurances, you are totally covered in all situations.

Were you already employed at VU Amsterdam on 1 June 2025?

A one-off promotion is currently running. If you take out coverage for a full disability between 1 June 2025 and 30 September 2025, then no medical questions will be asked. A rare opportunity, allowing you to swiftly arrange disability insurance without any medical exclusions on your coverage. After 30 September, it is still possible to take out this additional insurance, but an extended health declaration will be required for medical acceptance.

Did you start employment on 1 June or later?

If you register within six months after the start of your employment at VU Amsterdam, Loyalis will accept you without answering any medical questions. If you are employed for more than six months, an extended health declaration is part of the medical acceptance.

If you choose not to participate in the partial disability insurance coverage, you must submit the HR Service Desk a signed opt-out declaration within two months after your employment start date. Any premium already deducted will be refunded to you.

If you decide to opt-out from this insurance at a later point in time, you must submit the HR Service Desk a signed opt-out declaration. Your participation and premium deduction will then end on the first day of the following calendar month. Note: if I want to rejoin at a later moment, you will have to answer medical questions from the insurer for medical acceptance.

You can request the opt-out declaration from the HR Service Desk.

You can rejoin the group insurance for partial disability at a later date. When registering, you will have to answer medical questions. After medical acceptance by Loyalis, VU Amsterdam will deduct the premium from your monthly gross salary. You are then also re-entitled to the employer's partial disability contribution of 50% of the premium.

It’s your decision whether to switch. If you choose to stay with your current insurance company, avoid double coverage by submitting the HR Service Desk a signed opt-out declaration before 1 August 2025. An opt-out declaration can be requested from the HR Service Desk.

For the group insurance for partial disability coverage, there is an employer’s contribution of 50% of the premium. You pay the other 50% yourself monthly through your gross salary. The employer’s contribution is part of the agreement with the Local Consultative Body for the period 2025-2029.   

For the coverage of the full disability insurance, which you take out yourself directly with Loyalis, there is no employer’s contribution. You pay the total premium yourself, which is also deducted monthly from your gross salary, giving you an immediate tax benefit.

If you have taken out disability insurance with Loyalis yourself through VU Amsterdam, the premium is already deducted from your gross salary. On your payslip you can easily check which coverage applies to you. If the descriptions below do not appear on your payslip, you have not taken out additional insurance with Loyalis.

Your payslip before 1 June 2025 will show this: 

• Insured for partial disability: 'WN-premie IPAP ged.' 
• Insured for full disability: ‘WN-premie IPAP vol.’ 
• Insured for both partial and full disability: ‘EE contrib. IPAP P&F’

Your payslip as of 1 June 2025 will show this:

• You are enrolled in the group insurance for partial disability: ‘EE contrib. IPAP coll.’ 
• You are enrolled in the group insurance for partial disability, and you also have taken out insurance for full disability with Loyalis: ‘EE contrib. IPAP coll.’ and ‘EE contrib. IPAP full’ 
• If you only have an insurance for full disability and do not participate in the group insurance for partial disability: ‘EE contrib. IPAP full’ 

Of course, you can also contact the customer service of Loyalis.

Yes, it does not matter where it arose. But please note: if you go abroad for more than 6 months, you need to inform Loyalis yourself. Depending on the situation, the insurance can continue, be suspended or terminated.

You can apply for a full disability coverage during the period between 1 June 2025 and 30 September 2025 without any medical questions. However, coverage for both partial and full disability insurance only starts after at least four consecutive weeks of full recovery and work resumption. If the illness or conditions - which already exist at the start of the insurance - lead to incapacity for work, then this is not covered by this insurance. Please read the conditions on www.loyalis.nl/vu-en.

If you were already partially incapacitated for work before the start of the insurance (35-80% for WIA or 15-80% for WAO), you are only entitled to benefits if the following condition is met:

• The degree of occupational disability must have increased during the term of the insurance  
• This increase must be due to a cause other than the complaints or physical impairments that already existed at the start of the insurance
• UWV must have established this new cause of incapacity for work
• You must be able to prove what this other cause is, and this cause must also be covered by the insurance policy

You are not entitled to benefits if the increase in disability is due to:

• Psychological complaints
• Complaints excluded from coverage
• Aggravation of existing complaints
• Complaints that have increased during the waiting period

You can apply for the full disability insurance with Loyalis in the period between 1 June 2025 and 30 September 2025 without medical health questions, but you are only insured for an increase in incapacity for work due to a different cause. That cause must not be psychological in nature. The exclusions remain in force on your coverage for full disability you already took out. Please read the conditions on www.loyalis.nl/vu-en.

For reporting illness and recovery, VU Amsterdam has its own procedures, but if you are ill for a longer period of time and you are insured with Loyalis for disability, you may also need to take action yourself.

If you are insured through the VU Amsterdam’s group insurance for partial disability (and possibly also in combination with a full disability insurance), HR will report your illness and recovery to Loyalis. 

If you have insurance for full disability only, you need to report your illness and recovery yourself via this form (in Dutch only). 

That depends on which cover you took out before 1 June 2025. 

Do you have disability insurance for both partial and full disability coverage? If so, HR will carry out a conversion in June 2025. Your policy with Loyalis will then be adjusted. The insurance for full disability coverage will be continued under your current policy, but the partial disability insurance coverage will be processed on a policy where VU Amsterdam becomes the policyholder. You do not have to do anything. You will receive a letter from Loyalis confirming this conversion.

Do you have the insurance for full disability coverage? This policy will be continued. On top of that you will get additional coverage for partial disability through VU Amsterdam from 1 June 2025. You do not have to do anything.

Do you have the disability insurance for partial disability coverage? If so, HR will carry out a conversion in June 2025. From 1 June 2025, this coverage will be processed on a policy where VU Amsterdam becomes the policyholder. You will receive a letter from Loyalis confirming this conversion. You do not have to do anything for this. It may also be interesting to take out an additional insurance for full disability before 30 September without medical questions. You can easily arrange this yourself via the website of Loyalis: www.loyalis.nl/vu-en. There you can also read all the conditions.

During the period that you pay premium you are insured for the coverage you have taken out. This goes for the partial disability insurance that VU Amsterdam has arranged for you as of 1 June 2025, but also for the full disability insurance you might have taken out at Loyalis by yourself.  

You can theoretically still become disabled on your last day of work. In that case, the Loyalis policy provides coverage should you end up receiving WIA benefits resulting from the disability that arose during your (last days of) employment.