Apply for benefits for caregivers in acute care situations and caregiver leave in the social long-term care insurance system
Source: Serviceportal Rheinland-PfalzIf you are employed and a close family member requires acute care, you can be absent from work for up to 10 working days to organize the care of the family member. Your employer's consent is not required. The entitlement also exists in small companies with few employees. If you share caregiving in the acute situation with other family members, you are jointly entitled to a total of 10 working days off from work.
The short-term time off from your job is intended to allow you, for example,
- find out about care services,
- organize a care service or caregiver for your family member,
- take care of administrative matters and file 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 not more than 70 percent of the income threshold for health insurance contributions. You apply for the care support allowance to the care insurance fund of your family member in need of care. In addition, the insurance company will pay subsidies for health and long-term care insurance upon request.
The care support allowance can only be received by employees who are subject to social insurance contributions. If you are self-employed or a civil servant, or if you receive unemployment benefit II or III, you are not entitled to care support allowance. If you are engaged in farming as an entrepreneur, you are entitled to a farm support allowance for up to 10 days instead of the care support allowance. For more details, contact your health insurance fund.
According to the law, an acute care situation exists if it occurs unexpectedly, for example due to an accident or 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 grades 1 to 5.
In addition to the time off in an acute case, you can take time off from work in whole or in part for a maximum of 6 months to care for a close family member in need of care at home. This leave is called caregiver 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 these from the care insurance fund of the family member in need of care. The subsidy amounts to a maximum of the minimum contributions you have to pay for voluntary health insurance and long-term care insurance. For more information, contact your family member's long-term care insurance fund.