Short-term care and respite care
For when care at home is not possible
If you are receiving care at home and your carer is unavailable or your care situation changes at short notice, we provide financial support.
What is the difference between short-term care and respite care?
Short-term care takes place residentially in an approved care facility if care at home not, or not yet, possible. Respite care is covered if the carer is temporarily unavailable or unable to provide care and the person being cared for is looked after at home.
If care at home cannot be guaranteed or is not possible (e.g. following a short-term discharge from hospital), you will receive round-the-clock care in an approved short-term care facility. Half of the care allowance will continue to be paid during this period.
Requirements:
Find a care facility:
You can find approved care facilities in the
Applying for short-term care:
You can easily submit an application for short-term care via Meine SBK.
Alternatively, you can find the most important forms and applications
If you are receiving care at home and your carer is temporarily unavailable, you can make use of respite care.
If your carer is unavailable for less than eight hours a day (e.g. due to a hairdresser’s or doctor’s appointment), respite care can be claimed on an hourly basis. You will continue to receive the full care allowance.
If your carer is unavailable for eight hours or more a day (e.g. due to holiday), respite care can be claimed on a daily basis. During this time, half of the care allowance will continue to be paid.
Requirements:
Who can provide respite care?
You can find home care services and nursing homes in the
Applying for respite care:
You can easily submit an application for respite care via Meine SBK.
Application for respite care
Alternatively, you can find the most important forms and applications
What costs do we cover for you?
For short-term and respite care, there is a combined annual allowance of €3,539 for up to eight weeks per year. This can be used freely and flexibly for both services.
The following table shows the amount we cover for each type of care and how billing works.
| Type of care | Costs covered | Maximum amount* | Billing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential care facility | Care costs are covered. You are responsible for the costs of accommodation and meals. We recommend that you request a written quote from the residential care facility detailing all costs. | €3,539 per year | The residential care facility invoices us the care costs directly. |
| Home care services | The costs incurred are covered up to the maximum amount. | €3,539 per year | If you provide the care service with a declaration of assignment, they can invoice us directly. |
| Replacement carer (relatives and relatives by marriage up to the second degree**) | The amount paid to the replacement carer for the care provided. | Up to twice the amount of the care allowance for the relevant care level. We also cover travel costs or loss of earnings if these arise in connection with respite care. We require proof of this. In total, the maximum amount is €3,539 per year. | We will reimburse you for the costs once the form has been submitted. |
| Replacement carer (friends, neighbours) | The amount paid to the replacement carer for the care provided. | €3,539 per year | We will reimburse you for the costs once the form has been submitted. |
* If you have already claimed benefits this year, the maximum amount will be reduced accordingly.
** Parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, step-parents, step-children, step-grandchildren, parents-in-law, children-in-law, grandchildren-in-law, grandparents of spouses, step-grandparents, brothers/sisters-in-law.
