Rehabilitation and participation in working life

Rehabilitation rather than pension – it is under this principle that alongside our pension services we also provide medical rehabilitation services and services to encourage participation in working life. The object here is, where possible, to permanently overcome ill health or disabilities that have caused a reduction in earning capacity.

Beneficiaries who are resident abroad can only receive rehabilitation services if they have paid a compulsory contribution to the German statutory pension insurance scheme in the month the application is made, or, in connection with this type of compulsory insurance, were incapable of employment in the month the application was made, such as cross-border commuters, for example.

Medical rehabilitation services are special in-patient or out-patient courses of therapy conducted in suitable rehabilitation clinics. On the other hand, there are services for participating in working life, such as retraining which is largely carried out in occupational rehabilitation centres and similar facilities. The object of these measures is to prevent your enforced premature exit from working life and to reintegrate you occupationally on a permanent basis, if possible. Rehabilitation services are primarily carried out in institutions in Germany.

You are only entitled to receive rehabilitation services if your earning capacity is significantly endangered because of ill health or disability, or is already significantly reduced. These services must be capable of restoring your earning capacity or significantly improving it or a substantial aggravation must be at least avoided.

Furthermore, to be entitled to this type of service you must have paid contributions for a certain period of time. Your insurance periods in other Member States can be taken into consideration along with your German insurance periods in order to fulfil these conditions.