Service Finder
Applying for benefits for carers in acute care situations and care leave under social long-term care insurance
Service Description
If you are working and a close family member is in acute need of care, you can be absent from work for up to 10 working days to organize care for the family member. Your employer's consent is not required. The entitlement also applies to small companies with few employees. If you share the care in the acute situation with other family members, you are jointly entitled to a total of 10 working days off work.
The short-term leave of absence from work should enable you, for example, to
- find out about care services,
- organize a care service or caregiver for the family member,
- deal with the authorities and submit applications.
If your employer does not pay you a salary for this period of acute care, you are entitled to a care support allowance. It amounts to 90 percent of the lost net pay, but no more than 70 percent of the contribution assessment ceiling for health insurance. You apply for the care support allowance from the care insurance fund of your family member in need of care. The fund will also pay you subsidies for health and long-term care insurance on application.
Only employees who are subject to social insurance contributions can receive the care support allowance. If you are self-employed, a civil servant or receive unemployment benefit II or III, you are not entitled to care support allowance. If you work as an entrepreneur in agriculture, you are entitled to farm assistance for up to 10 days instead of care support allowance. You can find out more from your health insurance fund.
According to the law, an acute care situation exists if it arises unexpectedly, for example due to an accident or a stroke, or if an existing need for care suddenly worsens. In addition, a doctor must confirm that your family member in need of care is likely to be awarded care levels 1 to 5.
In addition to the time off in an acute case, you can take a maximum of 6 months' full or partial leave from work to care for a close family member in need of care at home. This leave of absence is called care leave. If you are no longer covered by your employer or family insurance during the care leave and therefore take out voluntary insurance, you can receive subsidies for health and care insurance. You apply for this from the care insurance fund of the family member in need of care. The subsidy amounts to a maximum of the minimum contributions that you have to pay for voluntary health insurance and long-term care insurance. For more information, please contact your family member's long-term care insurance fund.
Process flow
To take time off work in an acute care situation and receive care support allowance, proceed as follows:
- You inform your employer immediately of your inability to work and its expected duration. On request, present the employer with a medical certificate confirming the expected need for care of the family member.
- If you do not receive any pay from your employer during the time off, you can apply for care support allowance from the care insurance fund of the family member in need of care.
- You can submit the application for care support by post, for example, or - with many long-term care insurance funds - in person at the office or online.
-
You submit your application together with:
- the medical certificate confirming the expected need for care of the family member
- Certificate of remuneration from the employer
- The long-term care insurance fund will check your application and
- transfers your care support allowance to you.
Proceed as follows to receive health and long-term care insurance allowances for care leave:
- You claim care leave from your employer.
- You apply for the contribution subsidy from the long-term care insurance fund of the family member in need of care.
- You can submit the application for a contribution subsidy for care leave by post, for example, or - in the case of many long-term care insurance funds - in person at the office or online.
- The long-term care insurance fund will check your application and
-
transfers the contribution subsidy to you.
Requirements
-
the person in need of care is a close family member, including
- grandparents, parents, parents-in-law, step-parents
- Spouses, life partners, partners in a marriage-like or life partnership-like relationship
- Siblings, spouses of siblings and siblings of spouses, life partners of siblings and siblings of life partners
- Children, adopted or foster children, the children, adopted or foster children of the spouse or civil partner, children-in-law and grandchildren
- the person in need of care is a member of the German long-term care insurance scheme
For the care support allowance:
- the acute care situation has arisen unexpectedly
- a doctor confirms that your family member is likely to be classified in care levels 1 to 5
- You have notified your employer of the short-term absence from work
- You do not receive any pay from your employer during the time off
For the contribution allowance for care leave:
- You have claimed care leave from your employer
- You are no longer covered by your work or family insurance during your leave of absence, but have taken out voluntary insurance instead
-
Your employer has at least 16 employees
Which documents are required?
For the care support allowance:
- Medical certificate confirming the expected need for care of the family member
- Certificate of remuneration from your employer for the calculation of the care support allowance
For the contribution allowance for care leave:
- Proof of the amount of your monthly contributions to health and long-term care insurance
What are the fees?
You do not have to pay anything for the application.
What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?
For acute care situations of up to 10 working days:
- You must inform your employer immediately of your absence and its expected duration.
- You must immediately apply for the care support allowance from the care insurance fund or the care company of the family member in need of care.
For the contribution allowance for care leave:
- You must give your employer written notice of the leave of absence at least 10 working days in advance.
Processing duration
Processing normally takes around 2 to 11 working days.
In order to process and decide quickly, your long-term care insurance fund must have all the necessary information and any required documents in a complete and meaningful form.
The long-term care insurance fund decides on applications promptly.
Please note that the processing time indicated is an average value for all long-term care insurance funds. It may vary in individual cases.
The exact processing time also depends on the complexity of the individual case and may be longer. The same applies if documents or records are sent to you or your long-term care insurance fund by post.
Applications / forms
- Contradiction
-
Action before the social court
Appeal
- Forms: yes
- Online procedure possible: Many long-term care insurance companies offer an online procedure.
- Written form required: no
- Personal appearance necessary: no
What else should I know?
You can also apply for the care support allowance and contribution subsidies for care leave if the family member in need of care is not covered by statutory but private care insurance. You then submit the relevant application to the private insurance company with which the family member is insured.
Further Information
Author
The text was automatically translated based on the German content.
- Benefits for carers during care leave and short-term absence from work Granting
Remark: Display of performance in the source portal
Technically approved by
Federal Ministry of Health
Professionally released on
28.10.2021
Source: Zuständigkeitsfinder Thüringen (Linie6Plus)