Gradual Reintegration

"Hamburg Model"

Works Council in Zeuthen

"Hamburg Model"

If the employee is unable to return to full employment after a prolonged illness, the attending physician may prescribe gradual reintegration. This can be done independently of occupational integration management. The aim is to gradually resume the full workload.

What does gradual integration mean?

Gradual reintegration is a measure to gradually bring employees who are unable to work back to their full workload after a prolonged illness.
To this end, if you also wish to undergo gradual reintegration, the doctors at the rehabilitation facility will draw up a graduated plan (form G0834) for your workload in consultation with you, your attending doctor and, if applicable, your company doctor, and your employer.

Procedure of gradual reintegration

Provided that all parties involved have agreed to the step-by-step plan, the step-by-step reintegration is to commence on the date specified in the step-by-step plan.

The course of the phased reintegration will be medically reviewed by your attending physician and, if necessary, adapted to your individual health requirements.

If the start of the gradual reintegration is postponed, a new graduated plan must be drawn up and sent and, before the start of the graduated reintegration, you must clarify with your pension insurance institution whether it agrees to the postponement.

Your pension insurance institution will decide on any extension beyond the originally specified date after receipt of the amended graduated plan.

If the incapacity for work is declared to have ended before the end of the time frame specified in the graduated plan, the graduated reintegration will be deemed to have been completed from this point in time.

Interruption of gradual reintegration

Gradual reintegration may be interrupted for up to 7 days for health and operational reasons. The prerequisite is that the planned gradual plan is continued.

In the event of an interruption lasting longer than 7 days, the gradual reintegration shall be deemed to have been discontinued from the first day of the interruption.

Recreational leave during gradual reintegration

Since there must be continuous incapacity for work before and during gradual reintegration, recuperation leave is not possible during this period.

Termination of gradual reintegration

You, your attending physician, your employer, and also your pension insurance provider can terminate the gradual reintegration if, for example, there is a change in your health situation that does not permit the continuation of the gradual reintegration.

We ask you to notify us immediately of any change in circumstances.

Continued payment of wages

You are still incapacitated for work during the required gradual re-integration.

As you are unable to perform your full duties during the reintegration process, the same rules apply to your entitlement to continued payment of wages as for continued incapacity to work.

You will continue to receive your wages during the period of continued payment of wages. After the end of the statutory or collectively agreed continued payment of wages, the employer may pay wages on a voluntary basis for the period of reintegration in accordance with the work performance.

Transitional payment

After the end of continued payment of wages, your pension insurance institution will give you a transitional payment if the conditions for this are met.

A claim to sick pay is suspended if and as long as you receive transitional payment.

However, the prerequisite for continued payment of the transitional payment is that you were entitled to transitional payment during the medical rehabilitation service. If you are already receiving transitional payment up to the end of the medical service, the calculation basis and the assessment period of the previous benefit will be used.

The transitional payment will be paid seamlessly - also for the period after the end of the benefit - until the start and for the duration of the gradual reintegration. The transitional payment for the period between the end of the medical rehabilitation benefit and the start of the gradual reintegration will be paid retroactively after the start of the latter, after receipt of the start notification (form G0840) by the pension insurance institution. Further payments will be made in each case after receipt of the follow-up certificate or completion certificate (form G0842). If remuneration is received during the gradual reintegration (for the work performed), the net remuneration continued to be paid is to be offset against the transitional payment to be paid at the same time. Entitlement to transitional payment ends when full employment is taken up or prematurely when reintegration is discontinued. If your employer declares that employment is not possible in accordance with the graduated plan determined by the rehabilitation facility, the attempt at gradual reintegration is deemed to have ended.

If you are still unable to work, please contact your health insurance fund for payment of sickness benefit.

What do you have to do after discharge from the medical rehabilitation service?

If the rehabilitation facility has agreed with you on the implementation of gradual reintegration and drawn up the gradual plan, you will receive the following documents from the rehabilitation facility - in addition to this information sheet:

- a copy of the checklist (form G0833)
- a copy of the step-by-step plan (form G0834)
- an information sheet on gradual reintegration for employers (form G0838)
- a notice of commencement of phased reintegration (form G0840).

Please make sure that the documents are handed over to you in their entirety.

Pursuant to Section 5 (1) of the Continuation of Remuneration Act, you are obliged to provide your employer with evidence of the existence of incapacity for work at the beginning of and also during gradual reintegration at regular intervals by means of a medical certificate.