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Apply for individual case funding for participation in working life

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You may apply for supplemental supportive services on a case-by-case basis if it is necessary for you to obtain an educational or employment opportunity because of the nature or severity of your disability. Individual case supports include:

  • Motor vehicle assistance
  • Work assistance
  • Technical work aids
  • Aids
  • Loss of earnings
  • Housing assistance

If the Employment Agency is your responsible rehabilitation agency and you meet the requirements for funding, it will assume the costs.

Information on the respective individual subsidies:

Motor vehicle assistance

There are different benefits that you can apply for:

  • Subsidy for the purchase of a motor vehicle
  • Assumption of the costs for disability-related additional equipment and repairs of the additional equipment
  • Cost subsidy for the acquisition of a driver's license
  • Benefits in cases of hardship, such as a subsidy for transportation costs incurred, for example, by transportation services

Subsidies for the purchase of a motor vehicle and for a driver's license depend on your income level. The Agency for Employment will pay the full cost of any additional equipment required for a disability.

When purchasing a motor vehicle, you will receive a maximum of EUR 22,000 of the purchase price. An exception exists if you absolutely need a motor vehicle with a higher purchase price due to the nature and severity of the disability.

Alternatively, you can also receive subsidies for transportation costs within the framework of the hardship regulation. As a rule, there is a personal contribution.

Work assistance

Are you able to participate in working life, but need assistance with your employment due to your disability? Then work assistance helps you to fulfill your professional duties.

The work assistance goes beyond occasional handouts. It is a regularly recurring support of severely disabled people in terms of time and activity. You must perform the actual work yourself. Short-term and irregular assistance is not covered.

The aim of the benefit is for you to obtain a job that is subject to social insurance contributions. The costs of the work assistance are covered by the responsible rehabilitation agency for a period of up to 3 years. You also have this overall entitlement in the event of changing jobs. If you still require job assistance after the maximum funding period has expired, the Integration Office is responsible as part of the accompanying assistance in working life.

However, in order to simplify the administrative process, the integration offices take over the execution of the benefit from the beginning.

Technical work aids

Technical work aids are devices and equipment that make a workplace suitable for people with disabilities. They are intended to compensate for handicap-related disadvantages.

Examples of technical work aids:

  • Screen reader
  • one-hand keyboard
  • orthopedic office chair

Technical aids are tailored to your individual needs at the workplace. Since the aided items become your property, you can take them with you when you change jobs.

Aids

Support within the framework of participation in working life involves aids that are necessary because of the nature and severity of your disability

  • for training or professional practice
  • to participate in a service for participation in working life or
  • to increase safety on the way to work or at the workplace.

Aids include, for example, orthopedic safety shoes or orthopedic foot protection if they are required exclusively for activities in a specific occupation or occupational training.

Loss of earnings

You or a person required to accompany you must travel to an educational event or to present yourself at a new job. And this is only possible during normal working hours? Then you or your companion will be compensated for any loss of earnings.

Housing assistance

Housing assistance benefits include financial assistance for

  • the costs of purchasing,
  • the furnishing as well as
  • the maintenance of an apartment suitable for disabled persons.

This should enable you to reach the place of your vocational training or your workplace as barrier-free and independently as possible. The specific benefits depend on your personal situation and needs.

Please ask your advisor which documents you need in detail.

In order for you to be considered for individual case funding for occupational participation, the following general requirements must be met:

  • You have a disability and the Federal Employment Agency is your responsible rehabilitation agency.
  • Your prospects of participating or reparticipating in working life are not only temporarily reduced because of the nature or severity of your disability.
    • Or: You are threatened with a disability with the same occupational consequences.
  • You must contact your Federal Employment Agency about reimbursement of costs or the granting of subsidies before expenses are incurred or expenditures are made.

In addition, you may need to follow specific eligibility requirements for each grant:

Motor Vehicle Assistance:

  • You are dependent on a motor vehicle for daily travel between your home and place of work or training or education because your disability prevents you from traveling this distance on foot, by public transportation, or otherwise.

Work Assistance:

  • You must be severely disabled. This means you have a degree of disability of at least 50.
  • The assistance is necessary to obtain a job or training position.
  • The need for assistance from a personal assistant must go beyond occasional handouts.
  • In addition, it must be a regularly recurring support in terms of time and activity.

Technical work aids:

  • You need the technical work aid because of the nature and severity of your disability to perform your job or for training, and
  • the technical work aid serves exclusively to participate in working life.

Assistive devices:

  • You need the aid to compensate for a disability for a specific job or for a special form of occupational practice or training. You do not need it for other occupational activities.
  • Your employer or a medical rehabilitation agency does not have a primary obligation to provide this benefit.

Loss of earnings:

  • Your loss of earnings or the loss of earnings of a required companion is unavoidable. Therefore, travel can only occur during normal working hours.

Housing Assistance:

  • Eligibility for housing assistance benefits requires that you have a job-related need.

None

In order for you to receive individual case funding, you must contact your employment agency:

  • Make an appointment with the Vocational Rehabilitation and Participation Team at your employment agency.
  • If you do not yet have a personal contact person, make an appointment via the service hotline of the Federal Employment Agency.
  • In a personal meeting, they will clarify together whether individual case funding is an option for you.
  • If your advisor determines that the funding will help you participate in working life, this person will discuss the next steps with you.
  • Your counselor will also discuss with you the forms you need to fill out. You can also fill out the paperwork online.

Processing usually takes several weeks.

Appeal to the employment agency that issued the decision. Further information on how to file an appeal can be found in the respective notice.

Forms available: No
Written form required: No
Informal application possible: No
Personal appearance required: Yes
Online services available: Yes

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS)

05.10.2022

Responsible authorities

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Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Address: Regensburger Straße 104, 90478 Nürnberg
Timetable
Telephone: +49 800 45555-30
Telephone: +49 800 45555-20
Telephone: +49 800 45555-00
www: https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/privatpersonen

Source: Serviceportal Niedersachsen (Portalverbund des Bundes und der Länder)

Further Links

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Single points of contact of the state of Lower Saxony, Single points of contact of the countries of Europe, advice and assistance for EU citizens and their families.
Access information on the single point of contact for the state of Lower Saxonyvisit Website Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEsVisit advice and assistance for EU citizens and their families