When should the application for care services be made?
Sometimes, need for care arises suddenly after an event, such as e.B. a stroke. Often, however, the need for care develops insidiously. As soon as you have the impression that you or your relative regularly need help with everyday life, you should apply for care benefits. You are not in need of care only when you can no longer do anything at all. The decisive question is whether physical and / or mental limitations make everyday life difficult.
One important requirement must be met in order to apply: The person who wants to receive funds from the long-term care insurance fund in the future must have paid into the social long-term care insurance fund for at least two years within the past ten years. This can be either a statutory care insurance or – in the case of civil servants, soldiers, physicians or judges – a private compulsory insurance. For children in need of care, the condition is considered met if at least one parent has paid in accordingly.
In principle, it is recommended that the application be submitted as early as possible. Who waits with it for a long time, possibly gives away money. Because benefits are only available from the month of application. If you are in need of long-term care as of June, but do not apply for benefits until December, you will not receive benefits until December. The date of application is decisive for the start of benefits, not the date on which the need for care arises.
Where and how to apply for long-term care benefits?
The application is submitted to the care insurance company of the person in need of care. Care insurance is basically with the health insurance company. If the person in need of care is insured with the AOK, for example, it is sufficient to send the application to the AOK and indicate that it should be passed on to the care insurance fund. Privately insured persons must contact the private nursing care insurance company.
The application to the nursing care insurance company can be made informally by telephone, e-mail, fax or letter. It is sufficient to say "I am applying for benefits from the long-term care insurance fund" from. You can also use our free sample letter for this.
TIP: You can also apply to the long-term care insurance fund by telephone. In this case, however, you cannot prove when you made the application. It is therefore better to submit the application by fax or by mail. You can, of course, hand in the application in person and then have it receipted on a copy.
The application should be made by the person concerned him/herself. If the person is not able to do so, an authorized representative or a guardian can also apply for the care for the person in need of care. In this case, please enclose a copy of the power of attorney or the guardian’s identity card with the application.
As soon as the application has been received by the long-term care insurance company, it sends back a form for applying for long-term care benefits.
How to fill in the application form?
In addition to the personal data, you must provide additional information about which services you wish to apply for. This depends on whether you want to be cared for at home by relatives and/or an outpatient care service or in an inpatient facility.
Think about how your care will be organized and what is best for you. Remember that there is also the possibility to combine different offers. More details about the possible benefits can be found in our corresponding article. If you want to change the scope of the requested benefits later, this is possible at any time with a change request to the nursing care insurance company.
Where to find help in filling out the application form?
Filling out the application is sometimes complicated. Often many terms or the types of benefits and the combination options are unknown. A filling out assistance for typical components of the application forms gives we here.
It can also be difficult to estimate the need for care. For some fields, you may not even know how to fill them in. Your nursing care insurance fund, nursing care support points and nursing care advice centers can help you here. Everyone is entitled to advice: the long-term care insurance fund is obliged to name a contact person within two weeks of the application being submitted. However, you can always contact its care counseling service. Addresses are listed by the Center for Quality in Care. Privately insured persons can inform themselves at the page of the private health insurances.