The municipality of Groningen is launching a pilot in which residents are testing a web application that guides low-income people through all the schemes. The app was developed by the program future data exchange work and income (twi) of the Ministry of SZW, VNG, SVB and UWV. This can be read in VNG Realization e-Magazine.
The Netherlands has dozens of schemes for low-income residents. Each scheme has different conditions. Figuring out what someone is entitled to is often quite a job. The intention is that the app will soon fill itself with data that has been verified by reliable parties (such as municipalities, tax authorities or DUO). The app will enable users to take control of their own data, because they themselves determine which data they share, when and with whom. In the future, it should even be possible to apply directly for schemes to which someone is entitled via the app.
Rudy Kok, project leader at the municipality of Groningen tells VNG Realisatie e-Magazine: "We are organizing the pilot because we want to make it easier for low-income residents to use schemes. This fits well with the further digitalization of our services within the social domain." His colleague
Eva Schrikkema adds: "We are still really in the initial phase; we do not yet know what challenges will come our way in the coming months. Of course we hope the results will be positive. If it works, low-income people themselves will have more influence on their financial situation."
This news item can also be found in the files Digital transformation and Privacy in the social domain
