Long-term care in the Netherlands (WLZ)

The Long-Term Care Act (Wet langdurige zorg or WLZ) in the Netherlands provides financial support and care to anyone who needs ongoing care, whether due to their age, a medical condition, or mental or physical disabilities. 

The Long-Term Care Act (WLZ) 

The Long-Term Care Act (known as the WLZ scheme) is a piece of legislation in the Netherlands that provides for high-quality care for anyone who needs constant care or supervision. Along with old-age pensions, child benefits and the survivor benefit (ANW), they are part of the Netherlands’ national insurance scheme. 

WLZ vs ZVW

There is sometimes confusion over the difference between the long-term care (WLZ) and health insurance (ZVW) schemes in the Netherlands. In a nutshell, the WLZ scheme covers you for anything that requires extended care, for instance living in a care home or having carers come to your home. Short-term healthcare, such as visits to the GP or hospital is covered by the ZVW scheme. 

Who pays for long-term care in the Netherlands? 

As a national insurance scheme, long-term care in the Netherlands is funded by general income tax.

Your WLZ premium is a fixed percentage of your income that is automatically deducted from your salary or benefits. If you are not employed, you are obliged to pay the WLZ premium to the tax authorities yourself. You will receive a letter outlining how much you have to pay. 

As a recipient of long-term care, you will also be expected to make a personal contribution to the cost of your care (if you are over the age of 18). This is known as the “own contribution” (eigen bijdrage). The exact amount you pay varies depending on a number of factors. You can use this CAK calculator to calculate your contribution. 

Eligibility for long-term care

As a general rule, you are automatically insured for long-term care (WLZ) if you are resident or employed in the Netherlands. You do not have to specially register. If you have basic health insurance in the Netherlands (which is compulsory), then you are also insured under the long-term care scheme. 

To receive long-term care benefits in the Netherlands, someone will need to have severe long-term needs that require round-the-clock care or supervision. On top of this, it should be expected that they will continue to need extensive care for the rest of their life. Recipients therefore usually have advanced dementia or serious mental, physical or sensory disabilities. 

Long-term care benefits

Long-term care benefits in the Netherlands cover things like: 

• Stays in a care or nursing facility 
• Assistance from carers with personal care like washing, dressing, using the toilet, and eating and drinking
• Nursing care, such as medical assistance
• Care that increases self-reliance, such as help with learning to perform household duties
• Treatments which help with the recovery or improvement of a condition
• Transport to and from programmes and treatments 

WLZ care can be provided in two ways: 

• Contracted care, from providers contracted by your regional care administration office, either in a residential setting or at home
• Personal care budget (pgb), an allowance that enables to you to arrange care for yourself 

How to apply for long-term care 

To receive long-term care benefits, you will need to first apply for an indication from the Care Needs Assessment Centre (Centrum Indicatiestelling Zorg, CIZ). You can do this yourself, but a doctor, specialist or carer can also do it on your behalf. The application can be submitted online or by post. On the CIZ website, you can also do an informal WLZ check to see whether you might qualify for long-term care. 

To apply for the WLZ online, you’ll need to provide some personal information and some documents to support your application, including medical records. 

On the basis of the information you provide, the CIZ will decide whether you have the right to WLZ care and how much you are entitled to receive. This decision is known as a WLZ indication and is valid for a maximum of five years. The indication entitles you to care in a contracted institution or at home. In principle, the person in need of care should decide how they receive care.