Help for people with disabilities: What your child is entitled to

Even if your child has a disability, it has a right to cultural, economic and social participation. It is forbidden to discriminate against your child, for example because of their speech disorder , behavioral problems or hearing impairment . In contrast to this, however, it is permissible to give preference to a person with a disability because of his or her limitations. You can find out here what help and additional financial benefits you and your child are entitled to in different situations.

Help for people with disabilities depending on care level

Benefits relating to your child’s illness and care are often made dependent on your child’s need for care. Your child is considered to be in need of care if it is permanently dependent on you or someone else’s help for regularly recurring activities of daily living. The long-term care insurance differentiates between three levels of long-term care, which determine your entitlement to long-term care benefits:

• Care level I (severely in need of care): Your child is in need of considerable care if it needs help with personal hygiene, nutrition or mobility for at least two activities from one or more of these areas at least once a day and additional support with everyday care several times a week needs.
• Care level II: (requires heavy care): Your child needs care if it needs help with personal hygiene, nutrition or mobility at least three times a day at different times of the day and also needs help with everyday care several times a week.
• Care level III: (most in need of care): Your child is in need of most care if it needs help with personal hygiene, nutrition or mobility around the clock every day, including at night, and also needs support several times a week with everyday care.

The medical service of the health insurance companies (MDK) determines the degree of care your child needs during a home visit using a questionnaire. Prepare yourself for this visit by keeping a so-called care diary.

Help for people with disabilities: What options are there?

In order to be able to support your child, you are entitled to various benefits. Here is an overview of the most important support services for people with disabilities.

• Child benefit: Regardless of whether your child has a disability or not: Your child will be paid monthly child benefit up to the age of 18 . If your child’s disability occurred before the age of 25 and your child is unable to look after itself, then your child is still entitled to child benefit after the age of 18.
• Childcare costs: Two thirds of the childcare costs for your child are tax deductible . However, you can deduct a maximum of 4,000 euros per child. If you are a single parent or you and your partner both work, you can deduct the childcare costs up to the age of 14 for your child. If your child has a disability that occurred before the age of 25 and cannot look after itself, then you can also claim the childcare costs after the age of 14 as an extraordinary tax burden.
• Early intervention: Early intervention services are covered by health insurance and integration assistance.
• Barrier-free conversion: The Social Security Code provides various aids for obtaining and maintaining a home that is suitable for the disabled and therefore also barrier-free. Which payer is responsible in the individual case is decided according to the requirements that must be met for the respective service. According to § 4 of the Social Security Code IX, housing assistance for people with disabilities can be granted at the Employment Agency. But the integration offices or nursing care funds can also support you.
• Compensation for disadvantages: In order to compensate for disadvantages caused by disabilities or additional expenses, there are so-called compensation for disadvantages as an aid for people with disabilities. In most cases, however, your child can only make use of this compensation for disadvantages if the disability can be proven as a person with a severe disability by means of a severely disabled person’s pass. In addition, there are marks on the severely handicapped pass that correspond to the respective handicap and entitle your child to claim certain disadvantage compensations.
• Studies: Like all students, your child has the right to finance its living expenses through benefits under the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG). In addition, so-called training aids can be provided, such as accompanying and auxiliary staff to support your child when attending courses. Aids that your child needs for their studies, such as a special computer, can also be partially granted. However, parents often have to contribute to the costs.