Apply for individual case funding for participation in working life

If you need assistance with vocational integration or to secure an existing job because of your disability, you may be eligible for individual case funding.

You can apply for additional support services on a case-by-case basis if the nature or severity of your disability makes it necessary for you to take up training or employment. Examples of individual support are

• Motor vehicle assistance
• work assistance
• job coaching
• Technical work aids
• aids
• Loss of earnings
• Housing assistance

If the employment agency is your responsible rehabilitation provider and you meet the requirements for funding, it will cover the costs.

Information on the respective individual grants:

Motor vehicle assistance

There are various benefits that you can apply for:

• Grant for the purchase of a motor vehicle
• Assumption of costs for disability-related additional equipment and repairs to additional equipment
• Cost subsidy for the purchase of a driving license
• Benefits in cases of hardship, such as a subsidy for transportation costs incurred by transportation services

The grants for the purchase of a motor vehicle and driving license depend on your income. The Employment Agency will cover the full cost of any additional equipment required due to a disability.

If you buy a car, you will receive a maximum grant of EUR 22,000 of the purchase price. There is an exception if you absolutely need a vehicle with a higher purchase price due to the nature and severity of your disability.

Alternatively, you can also receive a subsidy for transportation costs under the hardship regulation. As a rule, you will have to pay your own share.

Work assistance

Are you generally able to participate in working life, but need support with your employment due to your disability? Then work assistance will help you to fulfill your professional duties.

Work assistance goes beyond occasional handouts. It is regularly recurring support for severely disabled people in terms of time and activity. You perform the actual work yourself. Short-term and irregular assistance is not covered.

The aim of the service is to help you find a job that is subject to social insurance contributions. The costs of work assistance are covered by the responsible rehabilitation provider for a period of up to 3 years. You also have this overall entitlement if you change jobs. If you continue to require work assistance after the maximum funding period has expired, the Integration Office is responsible as part of the accompanying assistance in working life.

However, in order to simplify the administrative process, the integration offices take over the implementation of the service from the outset.

Job coaching

Job coaching supports you and your colleagues in developing solutions to challenges at your workplace or training position. To this end, a coach will accompany you for some time in your day-to-day work. For example, you will receive help through counseling sessions in the event of conflicts at work.

The aim is for you to be able to do your job permanently or successfully complete your training. Job coaching usually lasts 6 months.

Technical work aids

Technical work aids are devices and equipment that make a workplace accessible to people with disabilities. They are designed to compensate for disadvantages caused by a disability.

Examples of technical work aids:

• Screen reader
• One-handed keyboard
• Orthopaedic office chair

Technical aids are tailored to your individual needs at the workplace. As the subsidized items become your property, you can take them with you when you change jobs.

Assistive devices

Support in the context of participation in working life involves aids that are required due to the nature and severity of your disability

• for training or vocational training,
• to participate in a benefit for participation in working life or
• to increase safety on the way to work or at work.

Aids include, for example, orthopaedic safety shoes or orthopaedic foot protection if they are required exclusively for activities in a specific occupation or vocational training.

Loss of earnings

You or a person required to accompany you have to travel to a training course or to an interview at a new job. And this is only possible during normal working hours? Then you or the person accompanying you will be compensated for any loss of earnings.

Housing assistance

Housing assistance benefits include financial assistance for

• the costs of acquisition,
• furnishing and
• the maintenance of an accessible home.

This should enable you to reach the place of your vocational training or your workplace as independently and barrier-free as possible. The specific benefits depend on your personal situation and needs.

Please ask your advisor which documents you need in detail.

The following general requirements must be met for you to be eligible for individual support for occupational participation:

• You have a disability and the Federal Employment Agency is your responsible rehabilitation provider.
• Your prospects of participating in working life or participating again are not only temporarily reduced due to the nature or severity of your disability.
  • Or: You are threatened with a disability with the same occupational consequences.

• You must contact your employment agency for reimbursement of costs or the granting of subsidies before expenses are incurred or costs are paid.

In addition, you may have to observe special requirements for the respective grant:

Motor vehicle assistance:

• You are dependent on a motor vehicle for the daily journey between your home and place of work or training or educational establishment because you are unable to cover this distance on foot, by public transport or otherwise due to your disability.

Work assistance:

• You must be severely disabled. This means that you have a degree of disability of at least 50.
• The assistance is necessary to obtain a job or training position.
• The assistance required from a personal assistant must go beyond occasional handouts.

In addition, the assistance must be regularly recurring in terms of time and activity.

Job coaching

• You are in vocational training or in employment subject to social insurance contributions and
• need support with challenges at your workplace or training position due to the nature and severity of your disability.

Technical work aids:

• Due to the nature and severity of your disability, you need the technical work aid to carry out your job or training and
• the technical work aid is used exclusively for participation in working life.

Assistive devices:

• You need the assistive device to compensate for a disability for a specific job or for a specific form of vocational exercise or training. You do not need it for other professional activities.
• Your employer or a medical rehabilitation provider is not primarily obliged to provide this benefit.

Loss of earnings:

• Your loss of earnings or the loss of earnings of a necessary accompanying person is unavoidable. The trip can therefore only take place during normal working hours.

Housing assistance:

• Support for housing assistance benefits requires that you have a work-related need.

Appeal to the employment agency that issued the decision. Further information on how to file an appeal can be found in the respective notice.

In order to receive individual support, you must contact your local employment agency:

• Make an appointment with the Vocational Rehabilitation and Participation team at your employment agency.
• If you do not yet have a personal contact person, make an appointment via the Federal Employment Agency's service hotline or online.
• In a personal meeting, they will clarify together whether individual support is an option for you.
• If your advisor determines that the support will help you to participate in working life, they will discuss the next steps with you.
• Your advisor will also discuss the forms you need to complete with you. You can also complete the documents online.

Processing usually takes several weeks.

There are no costs.