More money for care

<h1>More money for care</h1>

<p>More benefits for care through higher contributions: The Care Support and Relief Act is intended to relieve the burden on carers and strengthen home care.</p>

<p><strong>The Care Support and Relief Act provides more money for people in need of care. To this end, the contributions for long-term care insurance will initially be increased from July 2023.</strong></p>

<p>The PUEG essentially consists of two implementation steps: From July 2023, the contributions for long-term care insurance will first be increased. This is intended to create the basis for increasing long-term care benefits from January 2024.</p>

<h2>Higher contributions for long-term care insurance from July 2023</h2>

<p>From July 2023, contributions for long-term care insurance will increase, differentiated according to the number of children:</p>

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	<li>For those without children, contributions will be increased by 0.6% from 3.4% to 4%.</li>
	<li>For members with one child, a contribution of 3.4% will apply in future.</li>
	<li>From the second to the fifth child, the contributions per child are reduced by 0.15 contribution rate points.</li>
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<h2>Benefit improvements from January 2024 </h2>

<p>In order to strengthen home care, the care allowance will be increased by 5% as of January 1, 2024. Outpatient benefits in kind will also be increased by 5%.</p>

<p>Another new feature is that carers will in future be entitled to 10 days of care support allowance per calendar year (previously this was only possible once). Repeated leave of absence for 10 days by the employer (without care support allowance) was already possible in the past and will remain so. </p>

<p>The supplements (in accordance with Section 43c SGB XI) that the long-term care insurance fund pays to those in need of care in fully inpatient care facilities will also be increased as of January 1, 2024: </p>

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	<li>from 5 % to 15 % for 0 - 12 months retention period</li>
	<li>from 25 % to 30 % for 13 - 24 months</li>
	<li>from 45 % to 50 % at 25 - 36 months </li>
	<li>from 70 % to 75 % for more than 36 months </li>
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<h2>Better services for children, young people and young adults in need of care</h2>

<p>For people in need of care with care level 4 or 5 up to the age of 25, the following changes will apply from January 1, 2024: </p>

<p>Instead of up to six weeks, you can now claim up to eight weeks of respite care per calendar year.</p>

<p>Half of the (pro rata) care allowance previously received will also continue to be paid during the period of respite care for up to eight weeks per calendar year instead of up to six weeks.</p>

<p>In a calendar year, up to 100 percent - i.e. up to EUR 1,774 in 2024 - of the funds for short-term care can be reallocated to respite care, provided the funds have not already been used for short-term care services. The reallocated amount is offset against the benefit amount for short-term care, reducing it accordingly, and the six-month pre-care period prior to the first use of respite care does not apply.</p>

<h2>Dynamization of benefits from 2025</h2>

<p>As of 1 January 2025 and 1 January 2028, cash benefits and benefits in kind will be automatically dynamized in line with price trends. The federal government will draw up proposals for the long-term dynamization of benefits before the end of this legislative period. </p>