Relief Services

All individuals in need of care with care levels 1 to 5 are entitled to relief services if they are cared for at home. The relief amount of 131 euros per month is provided in addition to other benefits of long-term care insurance. It is intended to finance support services in everyday life (relief and care services) that ease the burden on caregiving relatives. These support services in everyday life are additional services for individuals in need of care and their relatives. Trained volunteers or professional caregivers take on various tasks for a few hours each month. However, the relief amount can also be used to pay a neighbor who regularly comes by to help. This ensures that individuals in need of care are well looked after and their relatives can recharge.

The relief amount is available to all individuals in need of care who have a care level and are cared for at home. An application to the care fund is not required. The relief amount is a reimbursement benefit. This means that care funds do not pay money in advance but reimburse the actual costs incurred up to the relief amount. The individual in need of care initially pays the bills out of pocket. The care fund then reimburses these costs retrospectively (reimbursement principle). Individuals in need of care who are not covered by long-term care insurance can receive relief services through social assistance, depending on their personal financial situation.

Support services in everyday life must undergo a recognition procedure in accordance with the Ordinance on the Recognition of Support Services in Everyday Life and the Promotion of the Development of the Care Structure in North Rhine-Westphalia (Recognition and Promotion Ordinance - AnFöVO). The Department of Social Affairs of the Oberbergischer Kreis is the competent authority for this recognition procedure for service providers based in the Oberbergischer Kreis. The application procedure is subject to a fee.

The other tasks of the Department of Social Affairs in this context include, in addition to the recognition procedure:

• Processing applications for the suspension of an offer

• Processing applications for the resumption of the offer after suspension

• Revocation of an offer

• Reviewing the annual activity reports

• Reviewing the quality requirements

The following contact persons are available at the Department of Social Affairs of the Oberbergischer Kreis, Moltkestr.42, 51643 Gummersbach:

Under the following link, you will find an overview of current support offers in everyday life in the Oberbergischer Kreis:

Offer Finder

The Ministry responsible for long-term care insurance has developed an electronic data processing system for the application procedure, which must be used for submitting applications. The link to this electronic application procedure and further information can be found on the website of the Ministry of Labor, Health, and Social Affairs NRW (MAGS NRW) under the following link: electronic application procedure

Please refer to the information sheet below for all further details.