Germany has changed the rules for assistance: why Ukrainians may have their payments cut
Фото: Reuters
New rules for providing social assistance to the unemployed have come into effect in Germany. The authorities have tightened requirements for those receiving benefits to encourage more people to return to work. Those who refuse to find work or violate the conditions may have their benefits reduced or even cancelled altogether.
This was announced by the German government.
The reform is being implemented gradually from July 1. From now on, when applying for assistance, the first priority will be to check whether a person can immediately get a job. Only if this is not possible will they be offered training or retraining.
Under the new rules, single, able-bodied people must work full-time unless there are objective obstacles to doing so.
The requirements for parents of young children have also changed. Previously, they could be required to look for work after the child turned three, but now it is possible after the child reaches 14 months of age.
The responsibility for violating the rules has also been strengthened. If a person refuses to apply for vacancies without a good reason or does not meet the requirements of the employment center, payments may be reduced by 30% for three months.
There are also sanctions for repeated missed appointments at the employment center. The first miss will not be punished, but the amount of benefits will be reduced for subsequent ones. If a person systematically ignores the requirements, he may completely lose the right to social benefits, including compensation for housing costs.
In addition, Germany has abolished the annual savings grace period. From now on, the amount of money that can be saved without losing the right to benefits will depend on the recipient’s age.
The government also plans to crack down harder on abuse of social benefits and give employment centers more opportunities to screen benefit recipients.
As a reminder, Germany has decided to recognize Ukrainian driver’s licenses without passing theoretical and practical exams . Ukrainian has also been added to the list of languages in which you can take the theoretical exam for obtaining a driver’s license.
As reported, Poland stopped funding the accommodation of most Ukrainian refugees in collective accommodation centers on July 1. Some of the displaced people lost their right to free housing, while support was maintained for certain categories.
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