In the current wave of infections, many children have fallen ill again. What to do when mothers and fathers work?
In the course of the corona pandemic, the legislator has increased the number of breastfeeding days for sick children. Every parent has 30 working days per child, even in 2023. Single parents can also receive their child’s sick pay for 60 days. However, the number is limited. Even if the family consists of several children, all parents take up to 65 working days each. For single parents, the limit is set at 130 days.
How much is the child’s sick pay?
Sickness benefit for children is usually 90% of the net wages lost. Parents can apply for child sickness benefits from their health insurance company. Until 7 April 2023, there is still an entitlement to child sickness benefit if a healthy child needs to be cared for at home for reasons related to the pandemic. To do this, the competent authority must temporarily close the school, nursery or facility for the disabled or prohibit entry for reasons of protection against contagion.
Who is entitled anyway?
Every legally insured child up to the age of twelve is entitled to child sickness benefit. There is no such age limit for children with disabilities. Furthermore, the parent who wants to request this benefit must also be legally insured. In all cases, the medical certificate must be obtained as soon as possible and the employer must be informed of the absence. The child’s illness must be proven to the employer and also to the health insurance from the first day of the planned leave from work.
Upon request, the AOK-Baden-Württemberg said that doctors can “issue the corresponding certificate even for a short time” after careful consultation. In order to relieve medical procedures, the rules for ascertaining the illness and issuing the certificate also after a telephone consultation are valid for up to seven days. The certificate can be extended once for another seven days by telephone.
Privately insured persons do not receive sickness benefit for their children. In the case of a mixed form, i.e. if one partner is legally insured and the other privately insured, it is decisive with whom the child is also insured. A special case is the self-employed, who are generally only entitled to sick pay for their children after the 43rd day of illness. However, some health insurance companies deviate from this.
When am I entitled to the benefit?
If the child gets sick, the employee or First of all, employees usually get up to five days of special paid leave from his employer. Only then does the insurance company step in and pay the child’s sick pay. If extraordinary leave is excluded from the collective agreement, for example, the insurance begins on the child’s first day of illness. Even children’s sick days can be taken flexibly throughout the year for individual days.
What requirements still need to be met?
The right exists only if the employer has granted the employee unpaid leave. Also, there must be no other people living in the house who could care for the baby. You need a medical certificate, an application for child sickness benefits and an income certificate from your employer for health insurance.
