Lauterbach expands telephone sick notes
Due to the corona pandemic, employees can also call in sick by telephone. However, if they have to look after their sick child at home, there is no way around a visit to the doctor. This is now changing. However, certain conditions must still be met.
Parents will soon be able to obtain medical certificates stating that they need to look after a sick child by telephone and without an extra visit to the doctor's surgery. This will be possible from December 18, according to information from the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) and the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV).
Specifically, according to the GKV, it should be possible to issue certificates for the receipt of children's sick pay for a maximum of five days - if the child is known to the doctor and they consider it acceptable to issue them by telephone. "This will significantly reduce the burden on parents and doctors' surgeries," said a GKV spokesperson.
Less effort, fewer infections
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach had previously asked the KBV and the health insurance funds to make such a regulation. The background to this is the current possibility of telephone sick notes for minor illnesses if patients are known in practices. The Joint Federal Committee of doctors, health insurers and hospitals recently decided on a permanent regulation modeled on a special coronavirus regulation.
In a letter to the KBV and the health insurance funds, Lauterbach explained that the telephone sick note should not only relieve patients and practices in cases where insured persons themselves are ill and unable to work - but also when children are ill and parents need a doctor's certificate to claim child sickness benefit.
This is "another important contribution to avoiding infections in waiting rooms", according to the letter. Parents can take time off work for sick children up to the age of twelve. To do this, they have to go to the doctor's office with their child to obtain a certificate. The health insurance fund then covers a large part of the loss of earnings and pays children's sick pay - usually 90 percent of the lost net salary.
Sick leave by telephone as far as known in practice
According to the ministry, a recently passed law regulates an increase in the number of days for which you can apply for children's sick pay. According to special coronavirus regulations, this would actually have been 10 children's sick days per year again from 2024 - the law increases the number to 15 days per child and parent for 2024 and 2025. In general, since December 7, patients with minor illnesses no longer have to drag themselves into surgeries to get a sick note for their job.
The condition is that you are known to the practice and have no severe symptoms. You can then get a certificate of incapacity to work for up to five days. For a follow-up certificate, you have to go to the practice. If the first certificate was issued in the practice, the follow-up certificate can also be issued by telephone. A similar special regulation that was extended several times during the coronavirus crisis expired in spring.
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As a result of the new regulations, International parents will have the option to obtain a sick note for their ill child over the phone from December 18, reducing the need for in-person doctor visits. This development in Lauterbach comes following the Federal Health Minister's request to streamline the process for obtaining child sick pay certificates, which will contribute to lessening the burden on parents and doctors' surgeries, and help prevent the spread of infections in waiting rooms.
Source: www.ntv.de
