Child sickness benefit
New law could soon relieve the burden on many parents
Will it soon be easier for parents to get child sickness benefit?
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According to Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, there will soon be a big change for parents whose children are sick. Previously, they had to go to the pediatrician on the first day and request a certificate in order to receive child sickness benefit. This stress could soon come to an end.
Anyone who has children of their own knows how often their beloved offspring gets sick and how often they have to call in sick themselves because they need them at home. This is normal and is just part of being a parent. Especially in the first few years, children’s immune systems build up and it often happens that the child cannot go to daycare or school and has to be cared for because, for example, they have a cold.
In such cases, of course, the parents cannot go to work because they have to look after their children. That’s what they get in these emergencies Sick days for childcare. Before the coronavirus pandemic it was ten days, but during the pandemic it was increased to 30 days. For single parents they were increased to 60 days. If the Federal Council agrees, these days will remain increased in 2024 and 2025.
Previous conditions and requirements
In contrast to employees’ sick days, the costs of these days of absence are covered directly by the statutory health insurance company. However, the entitlement to child sickness benefit is subject to certain conditions. The parent and child must be legally insured and the child must be younger than twelve years old. There must be a medical certificate confirming the need for care and there must be no other person living in the household who can look after the child. What also causes enormous stress for many parents and also leads to overcrowded waiting rooms in pediatricians’ offices is the rule that up to now a doctor’s visit has to take place on the first day, during which a certificate of the illness must be issued.
New law on child sickness benefit
You can easily imagine that everyday life with a sick child is stressful enough as it is. In order to minimize the stress and time pressure on parents, the relevant law should now be changed. Soon, guardians will no longer have to take their offspring to the doctor and get a certificate on the first day, but only from the fourth day. “We can trust the parents. A visit to the doctor only becomes necessary from the fourth day of illness,” said Karl Lauterbach to “Bild am Sonntag”.
No long wait for new regulations
The even better news is that parents apparently won’t have to wait long for the new change. The politician emphasizes that the law in its revised form should apply “ideally during this winter cold season”. There is no exact date yet, but it gives hope for relief for many families. Until it is official, it remains the case: On the first day that you have to take a sick note because you have to care for your own child, you have to go to the doctor to get a certificate.
Sources used: bundesgesundheitsministerium.de, spiegel.de, tagesschau.de