The need for care is often a major challenge for the family and the individual, requiring financial resources as well as physical and mental effort. An important support for people in need of care and their relatives is the monthly care allowance. However, the question arises as to what happens to the care allowance if the person in need of care has to go to hospital?
The care allowance is financial support that care recipients are entitled to in order to facilitate care and support at home or in institutions. It is paid monthly by the long-term care insurance carrier to those in need of care. The amount of the care allowance depends on the care level in which the person in need of care is classified.
If the care recipient needs to go to the hospital, there is the question of whether or not the care allowance will continue to be paid. As a rule, the care allowance is not paid during the hospital stay, as the care and support is taken over by the hospital during this time. But what happens after discharge from the hospital?
Meaning and use of the care allowance
Care allowance is a financial support for people in need of care. It is paid monthly and is intended to help the person concerned lead a dignified life. The money can be used for various purposes, for example, to buy care aids or to pay a professional caregiver.
If the person in need of care has to go to hospital, the situation changes. As a rule, the care allowance continues to be paid as long as care is provided at home. However, if the person in need of care is hospitalized for a longer period of time and therefore does not need home care, the care allowance may be partially or completely eliminated.
However, it is important to note that care allowance is not automatically cancelled in the event of illness. There are certain conditions under which the money continues to be paid. This includes, for example, a temporary absence of the person in need of care or a temporary assumption of care by relatives.
- A temporary absence of the person in need of care occurs if, for example, he or she is undergoing a rehabilitation measure.
- Temporary assumption of care by relatives exists if they take over care during the hospital stay.
If the care allowance is cancelled during the hospital stay, the person in need of care may be entitled to other financial support, for example, sick pay or transitional allowance. However, the exact conditions vary from case to case and should be examined individually.
Need for care and hospitalization
If a person in need of care has to go to hospital, the question often arises as to what happens to the care allowance. The care allowance is paid by the state as support for those in need of care and their relatives in order to reward the effort involved in care and to provide financial relief.
If the person in need of care has to go to hospital due to illness or injury, nothing changes in the care situation initially. The care allowance continues to be paid because the need for care persists. However, if the need for care is reduced or eliminated during the patient’s hospitalization, this may affect the amount of the care allowance.
However, it is important to note that needing care is not the same as having an illness or injury. Even if the person in need of care is temporarily treated in hospital, the need for care may continue to exist. In this case, the care allowance continues to be paid unchanged.
- Bottom line: during a hospital stay, long-term care benefits generally remain unchanged unless the patient’s need for care decreases during the stay.
Long-term care allowance and reimbursement: What happens if the person in need of care has to go to hospital??
The care allowance is paid monthly to persons in need of care to cover the financial needs for appropriate care. The amount of the care allowance depends on the care level and the number of assistance services required. If the need for care ceases to exist due to hospitalization, the care allowance for this period must be repaid. This is a legal regulation to avoid double funding.
The stay in the hospital can also have an influence on a possible reimbursement of costs for care services. If there is an entitlement to reimbursement for outpatient care services and these are not used because the person in need of care is in hospital, this entitlement may be forfeited for the corresponding period of time. It is therefore advisable to find out about the conditions for reimbursement before a hospital stay and, if necessary, to consult with the long-term care insurance fund.
In the case of an inpatient hospital stay, the costs are borne by the health insurance fund and not by the long-term care insurance fund. But even here, care benefits may be necessary under certain circumstances if the person in need of care continues to require assistance after the hospital stay. In these cases, the long-term care insurance fund should be contacted as soon as possible in order to reassess the need for care and, if necessary, to apply for care benefits.
- Conclusion: In the event of a hospital stay, the care allowance must be repaid for the corresponding period.
- It is advisable to clarify in advance the conditions for reimbursement in the event of a hospital stay.
- In the event of an inpatient stay in hospital, the costs are covered by the health insurance fund, not by the long-term care insurance fund.
What happens to the care allowance if the person in need of care has to go into hospital?
If a person in need of care has to be hospitalized, the question arises as to what happens to the care allowance. As a rule, the care allowance continues to be paid, as the need for care continues to exist. However, the care allowance may be temporarily suspended if no care services are used during the hospital stay.
In some cases, the long-term care insurance fund may also pay a lump sum for the period of hospitalization. This lump sum is intended to cover the cost of substitute care needed during hospitalization.
It is important to contact the nursing care insurance fund early on to clarify how the nursing care allowance will continue to be paid in the event of a hospital stay. In the case of longer hospital stays, it is also possible that the care level will be reassessed and the amount of the care allowance will change as a result.
- The bottom line is that long-term care benefits usually continue during a hospital stay if the need for care persists.
- However, it may be that the care allowance is temporarily suspended or a lump sum is paid for substitute care.
- It is important to contact the nursing care insurance fund early on and clarify how the nursing care allowance will continue to be paid in the event of hospitalization.
- Longer hospital stays can also lead to a reassessment of the nursing degree and the amount of the nursing allowance changes accordingly.