The German District Council, the Deutsche Landkreistag, is supporting the proposals put forward by Federal Minister of Health Nina Warken (CDU), which aim to make children financially responsible for their parents’ nursing home costs at an earlier stage.
Achim Brötel (CDU), the President of the Council, told the Rheinische Post that the body “strongly supports the demand to lower the exemption thresholds, which is essentially overdue.” Currently, since 2020, children of parents requiring care are generally only required to contribute to maintenance if their annual gross income exceeds €100,000. Brötel considers this limit far too high.
He argued that the social state’s function must be to assist those who are unable to help themselves. He maintained that there is no objective reason to shield private wealth or protect inheritance expectations at the expense of the public. Furthermore, he warned that this policy is becoming unsustainable and that lowering the thresholds would not only be more equitable but would also alleviate pressure on local social aid providers.
In addition to this, the President called for the implementation of new regulations concerning gifts. He also stressed that high levels of wealth owned by the care-dependent individuals themselves should be brought into consideration. Social welfare offices have increasingly observed instances where parents transfer assets, particularly real estate, to their children specifically to prevent social aid providers from accessing them should the parents later require care. Brötel concluded that legislative support is urgently needed to address this issue.
