Expert reveals serious error in the pension system: Far from good enough

When the doctors of the future sit down to dive into reality’s early retirement cases, their review reveals a pattern that causes the alarm bells to ring.

The cases they get access to contain exactly the same documents that the municipalities use when deciding whether a citizen should be awarded early retirement. And the conclusion is clear.

According to Professor of Social Medicine Ole Steen Mortensen, the students’ analyzes show that the municipalities have often neglected their obligations when it comes to offering the right efforts.

Training, psychology interviews, work testing and mentoring schemes have been either deficient, delayed or completely absent in cases where they could have made a real difference.

Since the early retirement reform in 2013, the law has otherwise demanded that the municipalities first explore all opportunities to get a citizen back into jobs – among other things with the help of a rehabilitation team. But that picture no longer holds, says the professor, who feels that many municipalities again operate as they did before the reform.

Another problem that goes again is the medical certificates. According to Ole Steen Mortensen, many doctors write thoroughly about what patients cannot – but rarely about what they may still have the opportunity. The lack of balance in the assessments can be decisive for whether a citizen is « parked » at lifelong pension.

« There are many efforts that could have been started in the past. The responsibility lies on professionals, municipalities and the citizens’ table, » says Professor Ole Steen Mortensen BT