{"id":6973,"date":"2026-02-16T15:00:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T14:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awo-lifebalance.de\/?aur_infobereich=understanding-and-using-care-allowance"},"modified":"2026-07-06T11:56:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T09:56:40","slug":"understanding-and-using-care-allowance","status":"publish","type":"aur_infobereich","link":"https:\/\/awo-lifebalance.de\/en\/?aur_infobereich=understanding-and-using-care-allowance","title":{"rendered":"Understanding and Using Care Allowance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Eligibility Requirements for Benefits<\/h2>\n\n<p>To be eligible for long-term care insurance benefits, your family member in need of care must <strong>have paid<\/strong> <strong>into <\/strong>the social long-term care insurance system <strong>for at least two years during the past ten years <\/strong>or have been covered under a family policy.<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>People with private health insurance<\/strong> are generally also covered for long-term care by their insurance provider, although a separate insurance policy is taken out for private long-term care insurance. The benefits provided by private long-term care insurance are virtually identical to those provided by public long-term care insurance.<\/p>\n\n<p>Keep in mind that statutory long- <strong>term care insurance always covers only a portion of the costs incurred<\/strong>. Long-term care insurance provides social protection against the risk that arises when a family member requires long-term care. Many expenses must also be paid out of pocket or, if necessary, by social welfare agencies.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Assessment of the Need for Care<\/h2>\n\n<p>The assessment of the need for long-term care is conducted during a visit by the local <strong>Medical Service (MD)<\/strong> or, for privately insured individuals<strong>,<\/strong> by <strong>Medicproof<\/strong><strong>,<\/strong> a subsidiary of the Federal Association of Private Health Insurers.<\/p>\n\n<p>The assessment focuses <strong>on the individual&#8217;s ability <\/strong><strong>to manage daily life independently<\/strong>. A person is considered independent even if they perform an activity with the aid of an assistive device, such as walking with the help of a walker.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Submitting an Application to the Long-Term Care Insurance Fund<\/h2>\n\n<p>Anyone who wishes to receive benefits for the first time must submit an <strong>application to the health insurance provider or private health insurance company of the <\/strong>person in need of care. The application is then forwarded to the appropriate long-term care insurance fund. This <strong>can also be done by phone<\/strong>. You will then be sent the appropriate forms. This form must be completed and signed by the person in need of care or by an authorized representative.<\/p>\n\n<p>If your family member is already receiving <strong>similar benefits from the workers&#8217; compensation insurance association, the pension office, or the social services office<\/strong>, you should submit copies of those documents along with the application. This will help us process your application more quickly.<\/p>\n\n<p>Long-term care insurance providers are required to offer <strong>personalized long-term care counseling<\/strong> to both the insured person and their family members. If desired, the consultation can also take place at home. In addition, your nearest <strong>care center<\/strong> can also provide assistance. A care resource center is a neutral, free point of contact for people in need of care and their family members, offering advice on all matters related to care, long-term care insurance benefits, and support services.<\/p>\n\n<p>After you have submitted your application to the long-term care insurance fund, the Medical Service will contact you to schedule an <strong>appointment for the <\/strong><strong>assessment<\/strong>. You must ensure that <strong>communication in German<\/strong> is possible. Otherwise, in addition to translators, friends or family members are also permitted to assist with the translation. The review will then <strong>generally<\/strong> take place <strong>within 20 days<\/strong>. If it takes too long, it&#8217;s best to call the Medical Service and explain your situation.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Evaluation by the Medical Service<\/h2>\n\n<p>The assessment usually takes place <strong>in the home of the <\/strong>person in need of care. As a family member, you have the right to be present during a visit by the Medical Service or Medicproof.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-secondary-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-secondary-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading has-contrast-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-fe05ae9b82b8d62bdacb0e1e6b41b766\" style=\"margin-top:25px;margin-bottom:25px\">Note<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"margin-top:0;margin-right:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0\">During the assessment, <strong>everyone<\/strong> involved in the care of your family member should be <strong>present<\/strong>, if possible. You should also have any existing <strong>medical reports<\/strong>, information about necessary <strong>medications<\/strong>, and, if applicable, the <strong>hospital discharge summary<\/strong> ready for the medical examiner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-secondary-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-secondary-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><strong>Here&#8217;s how the review process works:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>An introductory conversation<\/strong> describing the care situation. If there are several caregivers present, your family member may, if they wish, speak with the assessor alone at first.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Review external findings relevant to nursing care <\/strong>, such as physicians\u2019 reports, nursing documentation, transfer reports, notes made by nursing staff, and findings from previous assessments, if available.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Document the patient&#8217;s nursing history (medical history) <\/strong>. In this context, the personal assessment of the person concerned is decisive. This includes current health problems, needs, specific stressors, as well as the onset and progression of illnesses that led to the disability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Identify existing assistive devices <\/strong>\u2014that is, all care aids or technical aids that are available, even if they are not being used.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Describe the healthcare and housing situation <\/strong>. Are there any circumstances related to your living situation that hinder your independence? What facilities are used? Does the care take place at a facility that provides a structured daily routine (school, workshop, day care)? The nursing staff&#8217;s on-duty hours are documented here, such as the distribution of nursing tasks among different staff members, including the type, frequency, and timing of each task. They also ask to what extent a caregiver is involved, whether the caregiver must remain within calling distance, or whether the person in need of care can be left alone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>It is helpful to provide a detailed <strong>description of your daily routine<\/strong> and to take a <strong>tour of your living space<\/strong> together. You should point out any special features.<\/p>\n\n<p>Other questions that are not used to determine the care level relate to activities outside the home and household management.<\/p>\n\n<p>When it comes to <strong>activities outside the home<\/strong>, it is important to consider, for example, to what extent the person in need of care can move from their apartment to the building\u2019s entrance. Can she do this on her own, or does she need assistance? In addition, an assessment is made to determine whether the person in need of care can move about independently outside the home within a 500-meter radius. Is it possible to use public transportation or get into a car? Is it possible to participate in activities with other people?<\/p>\n\n<p>In <strong>household management<\/strong>, the degree of independence in various household activities is assessed on a scale ranging from fully independent to completely dependent. The activities to be assessed include: shopping for daily necessities; preparing or reheating meals; light household chores such as washing dishes, setting the table, or folding laundry; and more strenuous household chores such as mopping, vacuuming, or cleaning windows.<\/p>\n\n<p>Other questions include: Can <strong>household-related services<\/strong> or care provided by a <strong>home care agency<\/strong> be <strong>planned independently<\/strong>? To what extent can the person in need of care handle day-to-day <strong>financial and administrative matters<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n<p>Following the assessment, <strong>the evaluator provides recommendations on how to handle the care situation.<\/strong> The evaluation report, the resulting conclusion, and the specific recommendations are sent to the long-term care insurance fund. <strong>The assessor will not provide you with<\/strong> <strong>direct information about the outcome<\/strong> of the assessment <strong>.<\/strong> You must wait for the written notice of benefits (see below).<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-secondary-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-secondary-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading has-contrast-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-fe05ae9b82b8d62bdacb0e1e6b41b766\" style=\"margin-top:25px;margin-bottom:25px\">Note<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"margin-top:0;margin-right:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0\">The assessor can<strong> apply for nursing care or technical aids immediately after the interview.<\/strong> The application is then forwarded to the appropriate nursing care insurance fund. After that, a service provider will usually contact you directly regarding the delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-secondary-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-secondary-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group aur-service-pflege has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-secondary-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-secondary-background-color has-background aur-service-pflege is-style-default\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"aur-service-pflege\">Would you like to receive free advice from our experts on long-term care insurance and determine your individual eligibility?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons aur-service-pflege is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-03627597 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button aur-service-pflege\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-secondary-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/awo-lifebalance.de\/kontakt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Schedule a consultation<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button aur-service-pflege\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-secondary-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"tel:08002961133\">Call directly for free<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-secondary-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-secondary-background-color has-background\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-secondary-color has-text-color has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-8afde28c32ad392d1698d4669e9e0a64 is-content-justification-center is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-3c8805c5 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading alignwide\">Read more on this topic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-query alignwide is-layout-flow wp-block-query-is-layout-flow\">\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-query-no-results\">\n\n<p>There are currently no related posts.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Long-term care insurance has been in place in Germany since 1995. Through this program, individuals recognized as needing care have a guaranteed right to support. All individuals with public or private health insurance contribute to long-term care insurance. Long-term care insurance covers benefits specified by law once the need for long-term care has been recognized.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"tags":[415],"class_list":["post-6973","aur_infobereich","type-aur_infobereich","status-publish","hentry","tag-long-term-care-insurance-benefits"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awo-lifebalance.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/aur_infobereich\/6973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awo-lifebalance.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/aur_infobereich"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awo-lifebalance.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/aur_infobereich"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awo-lifebalance.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awo-lifebalance.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}