Calculate care allowance

Service Surcharges

The 'Calculate Care Allowance' algorithm uses care allowance rules to calculate the right to and the amount of care allowance. This is done with health insurance data from and about the applicant and the allowance partner.

Last change on 19th of July 2024, at 14:23 (CET) | Publication Standard 1.0

• Publication category: Impactful algorithms
• Impact assessment: DPIA
• Status: In use

General information

Theme

Social Security

Begin date

11-2011

Contact information

[e-mail]

Link to publication website

https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/nl/zorgtoeslag/zorgtoeslag

Responsible use

Goal and impact

It is the task of the Benefits Agency to ensure that citizens applying for care allowance receive the care allowance they are entitled to. The goal of the algorithm is:

• Fast, efficient and consistent granting of the right to care allowance for about 4.6 million households;
• That the applicant can immediately view the decision and, the amount of the care allowance.

The decision is done completely automatically on the entitlement and amount of the care allowance by the algorithm. Throughout the year, an advance payment is given. After the end of the year, based on the income and assets data, the allowance is finally calculated. If the algorithm fails to perform the assessment automatically, the algorithm may ask for help from an official.

Considerations

The advantage of using an algorithm:

• Efficiency and speed: the algorithm works automatically. This allows the Benefits Department to efficiently process millions of care allowance applications quickly;
• Consistency: the algorithm provides an approach that is always the same which reduces the risk of errors and/or discrepancies;
• Traceability: by using the algorithm, the surcharge calculation is automatically recorded, making it easier to track and control the decision process.

An official will manually review the application in case of missing data, technical errors or as part of an audit.

Human intervention

An official will manually review the application if there are missing data, technical errors or selected supervision by an official. If necessary, the applicant will be contacted to get the missing data. This new data is again given to the algorithm so that the algorithm can complete the assessment automatically. If necessary, an official can also calculate the care allowance manually.

Risk management

• Risk management and safeguards

For the development of algorithms, the Surcharge Service has drawn up conditions, a quality framework. This contains rules and agreements that are followed when developing the algorithm. The conditions come from the National Audit Office and are guiding. The algorithm has business rules based on laws and regulations. These business rules are tested and maintained to remain compliant with laws and regulations and political wishes. When changes are made to an algorithm, the Supplementary Benefits Service tests whether the quality requirements are still met.

• Equality, non-discrimination and privacy

The use of data is tested against the General Data Protection Regulation (AVG). The AVG prescribes that no more data may be used than necessary. This is called data minimisation. The Benefits Agency regularly examines whether the data used are still necessary and may therefore be used. If this is not the case, the algorithm is adjusted and data are also no longer used.

• Profiling

The algorithm only uses data listed under the data heading. The use of data is reviewed to avoid profiling that is not allowed.

• Right of access

Citizens have the right to see the information collected about them. They can also apply to have this information amended.

Legal basis

The legal basis and the use and collection of data is regulated by the General Income Support Act (Awir) and the Care Supplement Act. For more information see https://wetten.overheid.nl

Impact assessment

Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA)

Operations

Data

The use of data is tested against the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The following data are required when applying for and calculating care allowance:

• the applicant's personal data;
• the personal data of any partner;
• the healthcare insurance;
• country of residence in the case of treaty health insurance beneficiaries;
• the (estimated) income and assets per household member;
• judicial data.

Links to data sources

Zie 'Wie gebruikt mijn gegevens' in het Besluitenregister voor een detail overzicht van de gegevens die voor de zorgtoeslag gebruikt worden: https://gegevensbijbesluiten.overheid.nl/besluit/61720422

Technical design

The Care Allowance Act stipulates that citizens can apply for and change care allowance if there is reason to do so. Using the data and the Awir, the algorithm calculates the right to and the amount of the care allowance. This checks whether the applicant has health insurance, because without health insurance, a citizen is not entitled to care allowance. Once all final income and assets data are collected, a final settlement is made and shared with the citizen.

In addition, reasonableness checks are applied to protect both citizens and the administrator from unintentional errors and their possible consequences.

In some situations, the application cannot be assessed automatically. Then an official does the processing of the application manually (see human intervention).