– It’s my fault. I have worked my way into debt because I have tried to be in work, says Hilde (64). She lives along the Oslo Fjord and has been 100 per cent disabled since 2007. All the while she has tried to be in work. – I have so much desire to work again. But now I can’t take it anymore, she says and shows the latest invoice from Nav. There, the agency asks her to pay back over NOK 17,000. The deadline is barely three days before Christmas. The invoice is the latest in a series of repayment demands from Nav. Given her financial situation, Hilde cannot afford to pay back the claims, she says. In total, she now owes almost NOK 100,000. She herself has a responsibility, emphasizes Hilde. – I must have had a bit of blinders. Photo: Håkon Benjaminsen / news Many owe large sums In 2023, more than 8,000 people with disability benefits have received repayment claims of more than NOK 20,000, figures from Nav show. Almost 1,000 people owe more than NOK 100,000. Many of these are in work, and have earned too much in relation to their disability benefits. As a result, they have received too much social security which must be paid back to Nav. But those who cannot pay what they owe risk gradually building up significant debt to the agency. That is what happened to Hilde. – I thought that Nav would understand that I had to work, says Hilde about her reaction when she found out that she owed Nav money. Photo: Håkon Benjaminsen / news – A bit like credit card debt For a long time it worked well to combine disability benefits with a 30 percent job, she says. Hilde is her real name, but she is anonymous in this case for family reasons. The problems started in 2015, when the so-called non-driver reform came into force. Then the amount for how much people with disability benefits can earn in addition to social security was more than halved. That amount, also called the free amount, is slightly more than NOK 40,000 in 2023. She did not get that change in 2015, claims Hilde. Therefore, she believed that she could still earn what she did before the reform. – Didn’t you yourself have a responsibility to know how much you could work? – Yes, I have a responsibility myself. I must have had a bit of blinders on, she says. Hilde still believes that Nav has become far too difficult to deal with when you are in a difficult life situation. – It has become a very square and strict system. Before, you could have a personal relationship with the employees, but that is no longer useful. When the first demand for repayment came from Nav, Hilde continued to work. She explains that she was unable to pay the amount she owed without working even more. – It’s a bit like credit card debt. I’m already in the red every month, due to rent and increased living costs. Hilde claims she did not understand what Nav communicated when the non-driver reform was implemented. This led to her working too much over several years. Photo: Håkon Benjaminsen / news Nav: – No overview of people’s debts Nav does not have an overview of the debts of each individual user, explains section manager Bente Thori-Aamot in an e-mail to news. The agency is dependent on those receiving disability benefits to state how much they expect to earn in addition to disability benefits each year. Repayment claims can grow large if users do not report if their income has changed since the previous year, continues the section leader. – What responsibility does Nav have to ensure that people with disability benefits do not end up in situations where they have to repay significant amounts to the agency? – NAV has a duty to provide guidance and information and the user has a duty to participate, writes Thori-Aamot and continues: – We inform every autumn about the possibility of changing the income base so that you do not have to pay money back later. – Not everyone has a buffer, says leader of the AAP action Elisabeth Thoresen about disability pensioners who receive large repayment claims. Photo: Håkon Benjaminsen / news – Not everyone has a buffer – Nav should have woken up here. That’s what Elisabeth Thoresen, leader of the AAP action, says. The organization she leads is constantly contacted by disabled people who receive large repayment claims from Nav. She describes Hilde’s story as “completely wild”. And she is crystal clear on what she believes is the reason why so many people receive large repayment claims. – The system is too difficult, she asserts. Many people with disability benefits are in a challenging life situation. Then it can be difficult to deal with long decision letters and bureaucratic communication, she explains. Thoresen believes Nav should do better at following up on social security recipients who they see are about to work too much. – For many, this is very serious, because they have no money to pay back with. Not everyone has a buffer. In order to repay the debt, Hilde may have to sell the house. – I have no idea how I’m going to get out of this, she says. Photo: Håkon Benjaminsen / news – Has been naive This autumn, Hilde received a temporary postponement of most of the repayment requirement. But from July next year, Nav will deduct almost NOK 6,000 from her social security every month. She does not know what she will do with the claim of NOK 17,000, which must be paid before Christmas. – I have been naive. I thought that this would work out, that Nav would understand that I had to work. But I have been very stupid.
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Hilde worked too much alongside disability benefits – owes Nav NOK 100,000 – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
