Prerequisites
Social assistance is available to those who cannot, or cannot sufficiently, earn their living from their own resources, meaning neither income nor assets are sufficient. The prerequisite is a temporary, at least six-month, but not permanent incapacity to work in the general labor market, meaning the applicant can work less than three hours a day. Eligibility may also exist if they are receiving an early retirement pension.
Due to an addiction, they live in a special form of residential integration assistance and this facility assumes overall responsibility for their daily life and integration.
They are:
- temporarily fully disabled or
- receive an old-age pension but have not yet reached the age limit for the standard old-age pension.
You cannot fully cover your living expenses with your own resources and strength.
You will not receive:
- Basic security for job seekers,
- Basic security in old age and in case of incapacity for work or
- Basic services for asylum seekers.
Documents required
- valid identity card, passport or residence permit, if applicable, confirmation of registration
- Evidence of a temporary full incapacity for work in the form of a pension certificate
- Proof of income, for example for pension, sick pay, child benefit, maintenance payments or maintenance advances
- Proof of assets, such as savings, bank statements for the last three months
- Tenancy agreement as well as living and care agreement and subsequent changes, in particular with regard to the rent
- Evidence of expenses, in addition to rent amount and rental payment, especially advance payments and invoices for additional costs and heating costs, documents on insurance contributions
- Proof of health and nursing care insurance, i.e. information on health insurance and insurance status or contract for private health and nursing care insurance
- benefit or termination notice SGB II
Note: The scope of the required documents, especially for income and
Proof of assets depends on the individual case. Your local social welfare office will
request further documents from you, such as current bank statements, disability certificates, divorce decrees or maintenance orders.
Please note
New from 2020:
If social assistance benefits are granted to secure a livelihood in addition to outpatient integration assistance (EGH) benefits, the beneficiary will receive these two benefits from different offices from 2020. The EGH benefit notice is issued centrally by the Integration Assistance Department in the Wandsbek district (W/EH) and the notice on social assistance benefits is issued by the responsible social welfare office in the district.
Deadlines
The deadlines set by the social welfare office for the submission of documents must be met.
If this is not possible for you for understandable reasons, you must apply for an extension. Otherwise, the social welfare office can refuse to pay you benefits because you have failed to comply with your legal obligation to cooperate.
This also applies to the objection deadlines, i.e. if you do not agree with the decision - not only with the rejection decision, but also with the approval decision (amount of the resulting benefit entitlement).
