How the disability pension works and what should change

There is a pension that you like to do without. And yet it can be the financial rescue. Even her name is a monster: disability pension. And as it is called, it works in practice: extremely complicated. The basic idea is as simple as social.

Anyone who can no longer work for health reasons and have at least five years of pension insurance can apply for disability pension. But be careful: the thought “I can no longer” is enough – expected – not to get them. The disability pension is considered, for example, in the event of serious chronic illness, as a result of an accident, in the case of considerable physical restriction or mental illness. So it can hit everyone. At any age.

Important: disability is not the same as disability. If you can no longer practice your profession for health reasons, you do not necessarily have to be disabled. You are only if you can’t do any work anymore. Or only very limited. In turn:

First of all, medical evidence and assessment is needed. It is clarified how much work is possible. Or how little. You are “fully disabled” if you can only work less than three hours a day. If you can only work up to a maximum of six hours a day, you are “participating in part” and usually receives half a pension. It does not matter whether the labor market gives or not. The medical finding only counts.

A reduction in earning capacity must be certified by a doctor and withstand the review by the medical service of the German Pension Insurance. And case -by -case further reports. The assessment of health insurance companies is also obtained. The principle of “rehab before pension” applies. First, it is therefore checked which medical and/or professional rehabilitation measures can restore the ability to work. Insured persons must then go through, for example also professional retraining.

Only when such measures are demonstrably not fruitful is it checked how high the performance is with regard to work. And that with regard to any reasonable activity.

One suspects: behind the application for disability pension there is often a long history of suffering. Medical, mentally – and also bureaucratic. As long as there is a prospect of improvement in health, the pension is generally granted for three years. An extension is possible, also new limited. If health improves, the pension can be withdrawn. A so -called permanent pension is only granted if “it is unlikely that (the) disability can be remedied,” says the.

How high a disability pension is can be calculated individually. On average over all payments, it was last around 1000 euros per month. Those who have earned above average and were very long to pension can be obtained to the 2000 euros if they were full of disability. Claims from statutory accident insurance are generally offset. In contrast, additional earnings are expressly permitted. Up to 39,322.50 euros are possible with partial reduction, with a full reduction of EUR 19,661.25. It is also possible to return to work.

More than 300,000 applications for disability pension are submitted every year. About half are approved. A total of around 1.7 million citizens currently receive a disability pension. According to the pension insurance, mental illnesses were available in more than 40 percent of the recipients. This proportion has almost doubled within 20 years.

The fact that the welfare state supports seriously ill employees financially, if necessary with a pension, is certainly an achievement. How exactly he should do this is definitely controversial in social policy because of the steadily increased costs.

The coalition agreement between the Union and the SPD provides for an acceleration of determining the ability to work. This could help applicants to clarify faster. It also says: “We strengthen the principle of ‘prevention before rehab before pension’. We implement the Ü45 check nationwide. With rehabilitation, we want to achieve those who are already in a fixed-term disability pension.”

This part of the coalition agreement is more likely to aim at cost damping, i.e. to prevent the disability. The Ü45 check can be found online

How exactly the new political appointments affect those affected will only be shown after changes in the law and procedures. What is certain is that the disability pension remains a type of income that you prefer not want.