Danish woman denied sickness benefits despite severe illness fears losing her home

A Danish woman with chronic bowel disease, migraines, and depression was initially denied sickness benefits by her local council, forcing her to fear selling her home to make ends meet, reports DR. Pernille Bossen, a 50-year-old former bioanalyst, had her case later overturned by the national Appeals Board, which ruled the council’s decision was incorrect.

Bossen, who worked for 25 years at Sønderborg Hospital, was diagnosed with inflammation in her bowel and depression in December 2023. Despite her symptoms—including severe migraines, joint pain, and emotional instability—her local job centre determined she was fit to work. Without sickness benefits, she faced the prospect of relying on welfare, which would have required her to sell her home.

“If I end up on welfare, I’ll have to leave my house—I can’t afford to stay,” Bossen told DR. “I have no safety net if I collapse.”

The case comes as Denmark shortens its social worker training program by three months, a move critics warn could lead to more errors in benefit assessments. The Appeals Board currently finds flaws in roughly one in three cases. Legal experts and professional associations have raised concerns that reduced training—particularly in administrative law—may worsen decision-making quality.

Bossen, now on a work trial at a care centre, hopes her story will push for better case handling. “Of course, some people might try to exploit the system,” she said, “but don’t tell me I’m just feeling sick. It’s been devastating. I don’t want others to go through this.”

Sønderborg Municipality acknowledged the error in Bossen’s case, stating such assessments can be complex. The national reform, backed by a broad parliamentary majority, aims to make social work education “closer to reality” with smaller classes and more supervision, though critics argue legal training will suffer.