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Germany long-term care funding and accessibility reforms

Updated 18 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-06 09:02 UTC → 2026-09-07 12:09 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Germany’s 2023–2026 long-term care reform programme continues to reshape financing for home-care recipients. The unified relief budget, raised in July 2026 to €3,539 per eligible person, covers eight weeks of replacement care per year. Following the introduction of the relief budget on July 1, 2025, eligibility for ‘preventative care’ (Verhinderungspflege) begins immediately upon reaching care level 2, removing previous six-month residency requirements. Financial support for home care is provided through care allowances (Pflegegeld), which are scaled based on the level of care required. For care-grade 2, the monthly Pflegegeld remains at the levels established on January 1, 2025, throughout 2026. To mitigate administrative delays, § 33 SGB XI allows care allowance to be paid retroactively from the first day of the month following the onset of care. For those at care level 2, household assistance costs may be partially covered through a monthly relief amount (Entlastungsbetrag) of €131. New legislative developments regarding the Long-term Care Reorganization Act (PNOG) suggest a transition of Pflegegeld into a restricted relief budget starting in 2027. A draft bill indicates that criteria for initial care levels may tighten; specifically, the threshold for Pflegegrad 2 could rise from 27 to 30 points. This shift could reclassify individuals scoring between 27 and 29.9 points into Pflegegrad 1, potentially causing them to lose access to specific budget structures, such as the proposed €386 monthly budget for level 2. ~~As of late 2026, approximately 5.7 million people require care, with roughly 86 percent receiving support at home via relatives or outpatient services. Caregivers often face financial strain due~~ Furthermore, the PNOG draft proposes abolishing entitlements to ~~reduced working hours, though they may qualify for basic security~~ in-kind benefits ~~if they remain capable of working at least three hours daily. For~~ for consumable care aids for those in ~~residential care, monthly out-of-pocket costs averaged €3,364 in July 2026.~~ care level 1, while transitioning levels 2 through 5 to a flat-rate relief budget. The IHO has raised concerns that this shift could jeopardize infection prevention, as hygiene products might face competition with other care expenditures within a general budget.

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