I just moved here from another EU country.I am working but where do I get my disability rating.

MyHandicap User

I am looking for help with my move to Germany. I am from a "fortunate" EU country and working here in Germany. I am paying German taxes. I would like to know who can help me getting a new wheelchair etc. I am paralyzed from the waste down an independent but in Germany you need to be rated to have things going for you I understood. Can someone provide me with information please.

MyHandicap User

Hello and welcome!

First of all, I do hope that you have someone speaking German who will be able to help you with all the paper work, because this is the language that authorities etc. work in here in Germany, that you need to use to fill in forms, make official requests etc- no chance whatsoever to do that in English or any other language.

That being said it really depends what you need.

There is indeed something like "disability rating" (Grad der Behinderung or GdB). This is done by a public office called Versorgungsamt - so you would have to find the one that is responsible for the place where you live and then fill in a document that is called "Antrag auf Feststellung eines Grads der Behinderung" or similar. You will have to provide documentation of your health condition with that (medical reports etc - I assume they would want to seem them German as well). You will then get a certain rating (maximum is 100). You may also request certain letters (Merkzeichen) that are for certain kind of impairments. If you are a wheelchair user this is likely to be "G" for "Gehbehinderung" (walking impairment") or aG (for severe walking impairment). Depending on your "rating" and letters you will have certain entitlements, e.g. tax reductions or you can purchase for a little money a stamp that lets you use local and regional public transportation for free everywhere in Germany. If your "rating" (GdB) is at least 50 you will get an ID card for handicapped people ("Behindertenausweis") and with that you may get reductions for entrance fees etc. in many places.

A wheelchair is something completely different - this depends on whether you have a medical insurance in Germany or not. If you have an insurance and you need a wheelchair, you would have to go to see doctor and get a prescription ("Verordnung") for the wheelchair (which depends on the wheelchair being necessary from a medical point of view). You then need to submit that prescription to your German health insurance ("Krankenkasse") which will approve or reject it. In case of approval you can get a new wheelchair from a provider ("Sanitätshaus") and the insurance will pay. This is independent of any GdB.

I hope this helps - if you have any other specific questions, do not hesitate to ask. However, please note that the German administrative system is rather complex - so where you need to request things etc depends very much on what you want to obtain.

Best, ananim