“We won’t let those in need of care down”

background

Regarding the Housing Benefit Plus Act in general:

• In order to take into account the considerable additional burdens caused by sharply rising heating costs, a permanent heating cost component is introduced for the calculation of the housing benefit, which is included as a surcharge on the rent to be taken into account. In addition, a climate component will be introduced and income credit will be regulated more generously. This significantly expands the circle of those entitled to claim and significantly increases the entitlement to housing benefit.

effect for those in need of care

• Those in need of care who live in nursing homes and people with disabilities will also benefit from the improvements.

heating allowance

• The draft amendment to the Heating Costs Subsidy Act also provides that all recipients of housing benefit are entitled to a unique additional heating allowance receive. This subsidy is paid out automatically (without an additional application). Vulnerable groups, people with disabilities and people in need of care also benefit from this heating subsidy if they receive housing benefit between September and December 2022. According to the draft of the HeizkZuschussG, housing benefit households receive a corresponding, one-time subsidy of at least 415 euros.
• As part of the Heating Costs Subsidy Act, Section 85, Paragraph 7 of the XI of the Social Code was also specified, which enables outpatient and inpatient care facilities to quickly start negotiations with the care insurance companies if energy costs rise to an unforeseen extent.

Application for caregivers

The draft law on the housing benefit plus law takes into account that it is often difficult, especially for vulnerable groups of people, to apply for social benefits. It is therefore made clear there that

• the home operator may also apply for housing benefit, if the person in need of care instructs him to do so. The housing benefit is nevertheless paid to the person entitled to housing benefit.
• that provisional housing benefit can also be paid if a longer period of time is expected to be required to determine the entitlement to housing benefit and there is a reasonable probability that there is an entitlement to housing benefit. This enables the housing benefit offices to find unbureaucratic solutions, especially for vulnerable groups of people.

Background information on the subject of housing benefit and those in need of care:

• Tenants are entitled to housing benefit if their income falls below a legally stipulated limit. The heating subsidy depends on the receipt of housing benefit.
• According to Section 3, paragraph 1, sentence 2, no. (this includes in particular people in need of care who are inpatient)
• Since the gross cold rent as the assessment basis for housing benefit is not available nationwide for residents of the home, they are treated as single-person households with the maximum rent for the respective rent level of the Housing Benefit Act.
• In 2020, around 85,000 people living in institutions received housing benefits.
• In 2017, the average monthly housing allowance for residents was 125 euros.
• The federal and state governments each bear 50% of the cost of the housing benefit, and it is administered by the municipalities.