Thousands of volunteers are ready to assist victims of the childcare benefits scandal, but many are unable to start due to changing government regulations and a lack of registration. Only a fraction of the affected parents have registered with the Gelijkwaardig Herstel (Equal Recovery) foundation, established to help calculate compensation for damages like loss of housing or employment.

The foundation reports that victims are hesitant because the government keeps altering the rules during the compensation process. New government conditions introduced in the summer of 2024 stipulate that only victims from whom the Tax Authorities wrongly reclaimed over 30,000 euros can register with the foundation, limiting eligibility to 15,000 out of over 42,000 victims.

Victims with lower damages who had already registered were initially allowed to continue, but they may not receive compensation after all. The Ministry of Finance claims agreements were made about lower damage amounts for this group, a claim the foundation denies.

This is the latest setback in the recovery operation, causing nervousness and hesitation among victims. One victim, Patricia Bleeker, feels “powerless” after being told she will not receive compensation despite registering before the new limit was set.

Constant friction has plagued the Gelijkwaardig Herstel foundation’s relationship with the Ministry of Finance since its inception in September 2023. The ministry briefly halted the foundation’s work in the spring of 2024, citing concerns about high payouts and insufficient evidence of damage.

While many parents prefer the foundation’s method for calculating additional damages, the ministry has decided to develop another route for compensation. The details are not yet known, but the ministry assures that it will work with the same compensation amounts per damage item as the Gelijkwaardig Herstel foundation.

The role of Princess Laurentien, the foundation’s founder, has also caused friction. The ministry believes she still wields too much power, while the foundation maintains its organizational structure complies with all rules.