What are the benefits of the Care Strengthening Act II?

Reconciling work and family life - for a long time, this topic was only discussed in the context of childcare. In the meantime, however, caring for relatives in need of care is increasingly coming to the fore. Due to demographic developments, which are rapidly increasing the proportion of older people in need of care, more and more employees are facing the challenge of combining work and caring for their relatives. Carers often have to give up or reduce their professional activities and are overwhelmed by the double burden.

Employers are now all the more called upon to support their employees in caring for relatives and thus maintain their motivation and performance. 

Care Reinforcement Act II - the redefinition of the need for care

The Care Strengthening Act II, which came into force on January 1, 2016 and whose amendments came into effect in 2017, brings some overdue improvements for people in need of care and their relatives. The focus is on a new definition of the need for care. In future, the severity of the need for care will no longer be determined; instead, the aim is to provide assistance to maintain independence and remaining abilities. In addition, the individual need for care is to be better recorded.

In order to achieve this, a new system of assessment was introduced in 2017, in which physical, mental and psychological limitations are given equal consideration and included in the assessment. Previously, the system was predominantly based on purely physical ailments, while the increasing number of dementia patients was not sufficiently taken into account. Instead of the three care levels, supplemented by care level 0 for people with limited everyday competence, there are now five care levels that apply uniformly to all people in need of care.

People who already receive care benefits are automatically transferred to the new system by law without having to submit a new application for an assessment. They will receive at least the same benefits as before, and most will even receive more. Specifically, the formula applies: People with only physical limitations are automatically transferred to the next higher care level. People with mental limitations are automatically transferred to the next but one level of care.

A new recommendation procedure also improves access to rehabilitation measures that can prevent or delay the onset of the need for long-term care.

It's nicer at home - outpatient care instead of a home

Most people in need of care wish to remain at home or with their family. The Care Reinforcement Act II supports this model of outpatient care and provides more funding for care-related expenses such as home adaptations. Furthermore, family caregivers are covered by pension and unemployment insurance. Full inpatient care, on the other hand, will receive fewer benefits. This does not include hospices, for which more funds will now be available.

The Care Strengthening Act I in 2015 significantly improved the benefits for care at home. Relatives not only have the option of taking up to ten working days off at short notice in the event of a sudden care emergency, but also the right to take up to six months' care leave. There is also the legal entitlement to family care leave, which allows employees to reduce their working hours to up to 15 hours per week for 24 months. These longer-term leaves of absence are co-financed via an interest-free loan.

Work and care - new challenges for employers

The amendments to the Care Reinforcement Act II aim to make it easier to use outpatient care services, not least by providing better financial support. As most people in need of care and their relatives prefer outpatient support, the new law addresses important needs of those affected. However, outpatient care solutions generally also require greater commitment from relatives. In future, working people in particular will be even more dependent on working conditions that make it possible to reconcile work and care.

It is now the task of employers to proactively address the needs of employees who provide care and to create new working models in order to ensure the performance of employees and retain them in the company in the long term.