If personal income or assets are insufficient to cover the cost of living, under certain circumstances, individuals may be entitled to civil benefits. This state social assistance is aimed at ensuring a basic standard of living.
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Can pensioners also claim civil benefits? What rules apply in such cases?
Entitlement to civil benefits for pensioners
Whether pensioners are entitled to civil benefits depends primarily on the type of pension they receive.
For instance, according to the Federal Employment Agency's information bulletin, citizens do not have the right to receive benefits if they are receiving a regular statutory old-age pension.
Even if a person receives a full disability pension, they are not eligible for civil benefits. This is because, as reported by Allgäuer Zeitung, one of the requirements for eligibility for civil benefits is a person's employability.
In the case of complete disability, employability is either absent or significantly limited. The good news is that there are also pensioners who are eligible for civil benefits.
These include individuals receiving pensions due to the loss of a breadwinner, such as widows' pensions or orphan's pensions.
A partial disability pension does not automatically exclude a person's right to receive benefits. However, there is one condition: the individual must be able to work for more than three hours a day.
It is possible to combine civil benefits and a pension, especially if the person receives a basic pension according to the Federal Pensions Act. In this case, the basic pension is not counted as income, meaning that civil benefits are not reduced.
There is also the possibility of receiving civil benefits if a person is receiving a pension according to the Federal Compensation Act. Therefore, there are indeed options for receiving civil benefits in Germany.
In all these matters, it is crucial to understand all the specifics, nuances, and limitations.
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After reaching retirement age, some individuals may still be eligible for civil benefits if they are receiving certain types of pensions. For instance, widows and orphans receiving pensions due to the loss of a breadwinner are entitled to civil benefits.
However, if a pensioner is receiving a regular statutory old-age pension or a full disability pension, they do not qualify for civil benefits due to employability requirements.
