Claims for sickness benefit are made on medical certificates of incapacity signed by the claimant's doctor. The medical profession has always complained that these certificates have made excessive demands on doctors' time. The rules for issuing certificates have been changed several times since 1948 easing the burden on the medical profession.2 The extent to which the relaxation of these rules can be taken is limited by the necessity to take adequate precautions against the abuse of the social security scheme. The Ministry of Social Security supervises claims for sickness benefits by means of home visits and references for examination of beneficiaries to the Regional Medical Officers of the Ministry of Health. Persons who fail or refuse to attend these examinations without good cause may be disqualified from further sickness benefit. To avoid misunderstanding and unnecessary hardship the sick person's own doctor is consulted. The same procedure applies to industrial injury benefit and the amount of work involved is quite substantial. The number of home visits has declined from 1,140,000 in 1951 to 476,000 in 1965. The number of references to the Regional Medical Officers for examination, however, has increased from 346,000 to 746,000 for the same two years. The results of these references have not shown any consistent trend or any substantial fluctuations over the years. Since 1948, 36%-40% of persons referred for examination every year terminate their benefit either by sending in final certificates or by failing to attend the examination; another 10%-14% are found fit for work and their benefit ceases; and the

remaining 46%-54% are found incapable of work and continue to draw benefit.