Children of those in need of care should pay less maintenance

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Children of parents in need of care should in future only have to pay for the maintenance of their parents from an income of more than 100,000 euros per year. This is provided for in a draft law by the Ministry of Social Affairs, which is available to the editorial network in Germany.

Those who have parents in need of care should in future only be able to be financially obliged to do so from an annual income of EUR 100,000. So it stands in the draft for that "Maintenance Relief Act", which is available to the newspapers of the editorial network Germany. The goal is accordingly "a substantial relief for children and parents and their families who are obliged to maintain".

Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) is thus implementing an agreement from the coalition agreement. According to the newspaper report, Heil wants to bring the draft into the cabinet before the summer.

Legal obligations

Children are obliged to pay the maintenance needs of parents in need of long-term care if their income and assets are used up and the home costs exceed the payments from the long-term care insurance. The parents are then entitled to social assistance. The offices can reclaim part of the children. The children are granted basic allowances and other allowances that are based on their income and life situation.

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Parental maintenance When children have to pay for their parents

Parental maintenance: When children have to pay for their parents

Costs still unclear

According to media reports, the ministry cannot state the cost of the project because there is insufficient data on dependent children of dependent parents. The additional costs would be estimated at up to 300 million euros per year, but could also be significantly lower. The expenditure was initially borne by the federal states and municipalities.

The Federal Ministry of Labor said on request, that work on a draft law, but did not confirm any details.

Improvements also for families of disabled people

The ministry also wants to make families with disabled relatives better. According to Minister of Social Affairs Heil, in future only relatives with an income of more than 100,000 euros per year will have to make additional payments for integration assistance. Several media also report about this, initially the "Southgerman newspaper".

Until now, relatives have had to pay for people with disabilities who are therefore entitled to integration assistance. That applies also for Parents of adult children. For example, it is about costs for the conversion of a barrier-free apartment or for sign language interpreters.

A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Labor pointed out that the 100,000 euro limit already applies to social assistance benefits. Poor integration assistance should be avoided. The previous maintenance recourse could lead to a real financial burden in individual cases. "That is why we want to clearly limit it."

Social organizations welcomed the proposed change.