Apply for support for returning to work

You can claim benefits for participation in working life if you have health problems that prevent you from working. You can

• receive measures or aids that enable you to return to or continue working in your profession or
• benefits to change your occupation

make use of benefits to change your occupation.

The support you receive depends on your case. The important thing is that the measure helps you to pursue your profession or another profession.

You can receive the following support for practicing your profession:

• Motor vehicle assistance
  You will receive grants for the purchase of a car and/or for equipping your car for the disabled:
  
  • If you purchase a car, you will receive a grant of up to EUR 9,500.
  • The costs of converting an existing car to make it suitable for the disabled are covered in full.
• Assumption of costs for travel to and from a training course
• Assumption of costs for work assistance
  Pension insurance covers the costs of a person who supports you in your job. The costs are covered for a maximum of 3 years. If you have further needs after this period, the Integration Office will finance the work assistance.
• Assumption of costs for aids
  This includes
  
  • Costs that you need to carry out your job and/or to get to your workplace
  • Costs for participation in a measure that contributes to occupational participation
  • Costs for technical work aids such as screen readers or software

If you can no longer carry out your profession, you can receive support for taking up work:

• Start-up grant
  If you want to set up a business, you will receive a grant for this. Your self-employed work must match your medical condition and provide you with an income.
• Benefits in a recognized workshop for disabled people (WfbM)
  Working in a WfbM is an option if the general labour market is closed to you due to the severity of your disability and you can only carry out appropriate work in the protected environment of a WfbM.
• Benefits for vocational adjustment, retraining, training, further training or vocational preparation
  If you require support in the form of accompanying assistance - such as medical, psychological or social care - this will be taken into account when selecting the facility.

You cannot receive a benefit for participation in working life if you

• are entitled to a similar benefit from another rehabilitation provider - such as accident insurance - due to an accident at work, an occupational disease or injury caused by a third party.
• are a civil servant, soldier or judge. Please contact your local integration office to find out from whom you can receive benefits.
• already receive or have applied for an old-age pension amounting to at least two thirds of the full pension.
• have permanently retired from working life and are receiving a company pension, for example, until the start of your old-age pension.
• are in custody or serving a prison sentence.

Requirements

You can receive benefits for participation in working life from pension insurance if you

• have been insured in the statutory pension insurance scheme for at least 15 years (so-called "waiting period of 15 years") or
• receive a pension due to reduced earning capacity or
• receive a large widow's or widower's pension due to reduced earning capacity or
• would be entitled to a reduced earning capacity pension from the pension insurance fund without these benefits, or
• have previously received a medical rehabilitation benefit from the pension insurance which alone is not sufficient for the desired rehabilitation success.