Bundesportal | Apply for Combined Benefits for People in Need of Long-Term Care

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Publisher

Bundesministerium für Gesundheit (BMG)

Last update or date of publication

September 21, 2026

Contact

The government service telephone number 115 – your point of contact for questions related to the federal, state and local.

Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 18:00 (and beyond these times in some regions).

Call 115 now

Government service telephone number calls are charged at local rates.

If you receive care at home and have a care level of 2 through 5, you can choose between a care allowance and outpatient care benefits.

You can also combine outpatient care benefits with a care allowance. In this case, it is referred to as a combined benefit. The care allowance is reduced proportionally based on the value of the outpatient care benefits you receive. This means that the more outpatient care benefits you use, the less care allowance you receive.

For example, if you use 80% of all the in-kind care benefits to which you are entitled, you will no longer receive 100% of the maximum care allowance, but rather 20%. If, on the other hand, you use only a few in-kind care benefits, you will receive a correspondingly higher care allowance.

Your decision regarding the ratio of cash benefits to in-kind benefits you receive is binding for 6 months.

If applicable: Power of attorney, guardian ID card
If applicable: Notice from the long-term care insurance fund regarding the determination of the care level (report from the Medical Service of the Long-Term Care Insurance)
If applicable: medical records
If applicable: Severe disability ID card

Depending on the individual case, additional documents may be required. Please check with your long-term care insurance provider for more information.

Preconditions

You have a care level of 2, 3, 4, or 5.
You receive home care.

You do not have to pay anything for the application.

Basis for legal action

§ 38 Elftes Buch Sozialgesetzbuch (SGB XI)

§ 7a Sozialgesetzbuch Elftes Buch (SGB XI)

Legal Remedies

Objection
Action before the social court

Procedure

You can submit your application for combined benefits by mail, for example, or—with many long-term care insurance providers—in person at their office or online.

Calculate the portion of the in-kind long-term care benefit that corresponds to the monthly maximum amount to which you are entitled based on your long-term care level.
- If, for example, the monthly costs of the in-kind long-term care benefit amount to 70% of the maximum amount, you will still receive 30% of the long-term care allowance.
Submit the application for combined benefits to your long-term care insurance fund. If you are unable to do so yourself, you can authorize someone in writing to act on your behalf.
If you have not yet been assigned a care level of at least 2, the long-term care insurance fund will commission the Medical Service or other independent assessment services to determine whether you require care at a level of at least care level 2.
The long-term care insurance fund will evaluate the assessment, review your application, and notify you of the result.
Your long-term care insurance provider can give you a list of approved long-term care service providers, allowing you to compare services and prices.
Your long-term care insurance provider settles the payment for in-kind long-term care benefits directly with the home care service provider.

Deadlines

Period of validity
6 months
If you receive a combination benefit, you are bound by this decision for 6 months. This means you cannot change the ratio in which you combine in-kind long-term care benefits and long-term care allowance. An exception applies if your condition deteriorates significantly and you require more care.

Processing time

Processing usually takes about 2 to 3 business days.

To ensure prompt processing and a decision, your long-term care insurance provider must have all the necessary information and, if applicable, any required documents—complete and detailed.
The long-term care insurance provider will make a decision on applications in a timely manner.

Please note that the processing time indicated is an average across all long-term care insurance funds. It may vary in individual cases.

The exact processing time also depends on the complexity of the individual case and may be extended accordingly. The same applies if documents or records are sent by mail to you or your long-term care insurance provider.
If necessary, the Medical Service must be involved. This usually extends the processing of your request by about 2 to 3 weeks.

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