Apply for care assistance

Do you have impairments to your independence or your abilities for health reasons and are therefore dependent on help from others? Then under certain circumstances you are entitled to care assistance.

If you have long-term care insurance, your long-term care insurance fund or your private long-term care insurance company, which provides compulsory private long-term care insurance, is responsible for covering the costs of long-term care. However, the costs are only covered by long-term care insurance up to certain maximum limits, depending on the type of benefit.

If you are unable to cover the remaining costs, you may be eligible for social welfare benefits such as care assistance.

However, you may also be entitled to long-term care assistance if you have no claims against long-term care insurance, for example if you do not have long-term care insurance or if the need for long-term care is expected to last less than 6 months.

The reason for the need for care may be physical, cognitive or mental impairments or health-related stresses or requirements that you are unable to compensate for or cope with independently.

You can apply for care assistance from your responsible social welfare provider.

• If your care insurance fund has already decided on your level of care, the social welfare provider is bound by this decision. The prerequisite for this is that it is based on facts that must be taken into account in both decisions.
• If the long-term care insurance fund has not made a decision on your care level, the social welfare institution can take action itself if there is a corresponding need for urgency. The social welfare provider can commission other experts or the Medical Service to support it in its decision.

You will only receive care assistance if your income and assets and those of your spouse or partner are not sufficient to cover the uncovered costs of care yourself after covering living expenses and other general living requirements. Dependent children and parents are only required to reimburse costs if their annual gross income is more than EUR 100,000.

You are entitled to the following benefits as part of care assistance:

In care level 1:

• Care aids
• Measures to improve the living environment
• Digital care applications
• Supplementary support with the use of digital care applications
• Relief amount

In care levels 2 to 5:

• home care in the form of:
  • Care allowance
  • home care assistance
  • Preventive care
  • Care aids
  • Measures to improve the living environment
  • other services
  • digital care applications
  • Supplementary support for the use of digital care applications
• Partial inpatient care, i.e. temporary care during the day or at night in a day care or night care facility
• Short-term care, i.e. temporary full inpatient care when care is generally provided at home
• Relief amount
• Inpatient care, i.e. permanent full inpatient care

The competent authority will check your documents. If the relevant requirements are met, you will be granted care assistance.

• Kreis Kleve - Care

• §§ Sections 61 to 66a of the Twelfth Book of the Social Code (SGB XII)

• You are impaired in your independence or your abilities for health reasons so that you need help from others. This means that you have physical, cognitive or mental impairments or health-related burdens or requirements that you cannot compensate for or cope with independently.
• The need for care must be at least as severe as the level at which a statutory care degree is awarded. This means that you must have at least care level 1. However, only limited benefits are provided for those in need of care in care grade 1 as part of the care assistance program. Those in need of care with care levels 2 to 5, on the other hand, have full access.
• You and your spouse or partner who is not separated do not have sufficient income or assets to cover the care costs.

You will receive care assistance at the earliest from the date on which the competent social assistance provider becomes aware that the conditions for benefits are met.

• As a person with long-term care insurance, you should first contact your relevant long-term care insurance fund or your private long-term care insurance company, which provides compulsory private long-term care insurance.
• The long-term care insurance fund or the long-term care insurance company commissions the
  • Medical service (MD) or
  • other independent experts or,
  • if you have private insurance, Medicproof, to draw up an expert opinion on your need for care and your care level, and clarify what benefits you are entitled to and how much you are entitled to.
• If these benefits are not sufficient or you are not entitled to any benefits at all, apply for care assistance from your responsible social welfare provider. This also applies if you do not have long-term care insurance.
• You will receive advice there and can inform the social welfare provider about your benefit requirements.
• The social welfare provider will check the documents you submit and your income and assets as well as those of your spouse or partner, if applicable. In the case of minors and unmarried persons in need of care, the income and assets of their parents will be taken into account.
• If all requirements are met, you will receive a notification of approval.

• Act on the Relief of Relatives with Maintenance Obligations in Social Welfare and Integration Assistance (Relatives Relief Act)
• Information on social assistance on the website of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS)
• Information on care assistance on the website of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS)
• Online care guide on the website of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG)
• Pathways to care, information on the website of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ)

• Application for care allowance
• Application for assumption of uncovered home care costs
• Checklist for the application for the assumption of uncovered home care costs
• Declaration of income and assets