If you are chronically ill, you can retire earlier under certain conditions - without financial disadvantages.
What applies and what you have to do about it.
Berlin – In Germany, almost eight million people are considered to be severely disabled and therefore have a severely disabled pass.
In contrast to the widespread prejudice about disabled people, most of them are fully employable and integrated in the labor market: In 2021, according to the Federal Statistical Office, this was 57 percent.
What many people do not know: a large number of chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma and rheumatism can be recognized as disabilities.
The relief that you get from this could make life easier for many people.
Get severely handicapped ID cards and retire earlier
According to the social association VdK, more than a third of all people in Germany have a chronic illness.
Exactly when an illness is considered “chronic” is controversial in medicine.
However, the definition of the joint federal committee of health insurance companies and doctors has agreed on this definition: Anyone who is dependent on medical treatment at least once a quarter for the same illness is considered chronically ill.
If you have a chronic illness, you can apply for a severely disabled person's pass and thus benefit from relief and support.
The following diseases, among others, can be recognized as chronic diseases:
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Severely disabled and chronically ill people can retire earlier.
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diabetes
rheumatism
asthma
cardiovascular diseases
multiple sclerosis
back pain
cancers
consequences of a stroke
migraine
depression and anxiety disorders
The degree of disability (GdB), which is determined by a doctor upon application, is decisive for an application for severe disability.
From a GdB of 50 you are considered severely disabled and can therefore get a severely disabled pass.
The lowest GdB is 20, the highest 100. According to the VdK, a severe migraine that occurs every few days and thus has a significant impact on everyday life can be given a GdB of 50.
The severely disabled pass is then applied for at the pension office after the GdB has determined it.
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Retirement at 63: Severely disabled people retire earlier
If you have a severely disabled person's pass, you can receive various benefits and compensation for disadvantages.
In addition to tax breaks and special leave, the severely disabled can also retire two years earlier after 35 years of insurance – without any financial deductions.
Anyone who accepts a lower pension can even retire earlier.
For those born in 1954, this means a pension at the age of 63 without a reduction in pension and at the age of 60 who accepts a reduction of 10.8 percent.
The following table summarizes which year of birth is associated with which early pension:
vintage | Retirement age with severely handicapped ID card |
---|---|
1952 | 63 |
1953 | 63 |
1954 | 63 |
1955 | 63 |
1956 | 63 |
1957 | 63 |
1958 | 64 |
1959 | 64 |
1960 | 64 |
1961 | 64 |
1962 | 64 |
1963 | 64 |
1964 | 65 |
Anyone who is no longer able to work receives a disability pension
Anyone who is unable to work in whole or in part due to a long-term illness can receive a disability pension.
The hurdles for this are very high, since the disability pension replaces income.
Another requirement is that you have not yet reached retirement age.
Before a disability pension is approved, those affected must have gone through various rehabilitation measures.
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