The law in detail
Strengthen care at home, improve services, limit financial burdens
- To strengthen home care, that will care allowance increased by 5% as of January 1, 2024.
- For this reason, the outpatient benefits in kind increased by 5% as of January 1, 2024.
- The Care Support Allowance can be used by relatives in the future for up to ten working days per person in need of care per calendar year and is no longer limited to a one-time total of ten working days per person in need of care.
The improvements will take effect on January 1, 2024. - On July 1, 2025, the benefit amounts for respite care and short-term care will be combined in a new joint annual amount for respite care and short-term care. This is in the future total benefit amount from up to 3.539 EUR is available, which the beneficiaries can use flexibly for both types of benefits according to their choice. The previous six-month pre-care period before the first use of stand-in care is abolished, so that in future the services can be used immediately as soon as at least care grade 2 is determined.
- One Families with children in need of care to support immediatelythe entitlement to the joint annual amount from preventive care and short-term care for those in need of care in care grades 4 and 5 who have not yet reached the age of 25 will be introduced as of January 1, 2024.
- The Access for caring relatives to preventive and rehabilitation services is facilitatedin which the possibility of including the person in need of care in the inpatient preventive care or rehabilitation facility of the caregiver is expanded and further developed.
- As of January 1, 2024, the Surcharges (according to § 43c SGB XI), which the nursing care fund pays to those in need of care in full-time nursing care facilities, increased. Rates are increased from 5% to 15% at 0-12 months, 25% to 30% at 13-24 months, 45% to 50% at 25-36 months, and 70% to 75% at more than 36 months.
- As of January 1, 2025 and January 1, 2028, the Payments in cash and in kind as a rule automatically dynamic based on the price development. By the end of May next year, the Federal Government will draw up proposals for the long-term dynamic adjustment of benefits and the long-term financing of long-term care insurance.
- The regulations, which have become complex and non-transparent Procedure for determining the need for care in § 18 SGB XI are restructured and systematized so that procedural and service law contents are prepared in separate regulations in a clearer and more addressee-oriented manner. The possibility of telephone assessments in certain situations helps with access to services and relieves applicants and medical services.
Better working conditions for professional nurses
- In the inpatient care will the Implementation of the personnel assessment process accelerated by specifying further expansion stages. The situation on the job and training market must be taken into account.
- Temporary work/volunteer pools: Additional staff in springer pools can be regularly financed in the future in order to relieve the permanent staff and reduce the need for temporary work again. In addition, the framework conditions of the care facilities for a quality-assured recruitment of care workers from abroad are improved. At the same time, in order to reduce economic incentives for temporary work companies and to use the funds from the solidarity long-term care insurance primarily for those in need of care and nursing staff, in future the costs for temporary work can usually only be financed from the care allowance up to the amount of the corresponding standard wages.
- In order to use the potential of digitization to improve and strengthen nursing care and to support its implementation in practice, a Competence center digitization and care furnished.
- The Funding program for digital and technical acquisitions in care facilities with a total volume of around 300 million euros expanded and extended to the end of the decade.
- The funding program for care facilities to support measures to improve the compatibility of family and work for their employees will be extended.
- For a period of four years, the long-term care insurance funds innovative support measures and structures on site and in the district in order to provide new impetus for strengthening long-term care in the communities. At the same time, the municipalities are given a permanent right of initiative to set up care bases to advise those in need of care and their relatives.
Financial stabilization
The general contribution rate as of July 1, 2023 moderately increased by 0.35 percentage points. This measure is associated with additional income of around EUR 6.6 billion/year. The federal government is authorized to set the contribution rate in the future by ordinance if it has to react to short-term financing needs. The Bundestag and Bundesrat must be involved.
Implementation of the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court of April 7, 2022
Also on July 1, 2023, the contribution rate for the implementation of the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court of April 7, 2022 will be differentiated according to the number of children. Parents then generally pay 0.6 contribution rate points less than childless people. For members without children, a contribution rate of 4% applies. For members with one child, on the other hand, the contribution rate is only 3.4%. From two children, the contribution is further reduced by 0.25 contribution rate points per child up to the fifth child during the child-raising phase up to the age of 25. After the respective education phase, the discount is no longer applicable. After the period in which the economic effort of raising children typically occurs, no further differentiation is made between members with different numbers of children. For members with several children, the regular contribution rate of 3.4% applies again after the child-raising period.
The following contribution rates apply:
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members without children
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= 4.00% (employee share: 2.3%)
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Members with 1 child
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= 3.40% (for life) (AN share: 1.7%)
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Members with 2 children
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= 3.15% (employee share: 1.45%)
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Members with 3 children
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= 2.90% (employee share: 1.2%)
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Members with 4 children
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= 2.65% (employee share 0.95%)
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Members with 5 or more children
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= 2.40% (employee share 0.7%)
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The deductions mentioned apply as long as all children to be taken into account are under 25 years old. In the child-rearing phase, parents with several children are therefore noticeably relieved. The employer contribution is always 1.7%.
In order to relieve the burden on insured persons and bodies transferring contributions, the law stipulates that by March 31, 2025, a digital procedure for collecting and proving the number of children eligible for consideration will be developed. The federal government will report on the status of the development of this procedure by December 31, 2023. A simplified verification procedure is planned for the period from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025. The period for refunding overpaid contributions is extended to June 30, 2025; the reimbursement shall bear interest for the entire period