You apply for a Pflegegrad (care grade) at the Pflegekasse (long-term care insurance fund). The Pflegekasse belongs to the health insurance fund of the person in need of care. A phone call or a short letter is enough – make the application early, because money is only paid from the month of the application.

Details

A Pflegegrad is the key to almost all long-term care insurance benefits: Pflegegeld (cash care allowance), a care service, the Entlastungsbetrag (monthly relief amount), Kurzzeitpflege (short-term residential care), aids and equipment, grants towards adapting the home. Without a Pflegegrad there is none of this. The route is always the same: application – assessment – decision.

Who makes the application?

In principle the person in need of care makes it themselves. Relatives, neighbours or friends can make the application if they hold a power of attorney or have been appointed as legal guardian. No particular form is prescribed: a call to the Pflegekasse or an informal letter is entirely sufficient. One sentence is enough: “Hiermit beantrage ich Leistungen der Pflegeversicherung.” (I hereby apply for benefits from the long-term care insurance.)

Why the day of the application matters so much

Benefits are paid from the first day of the month in which the application reached the Pflegekasse. If you ring in March and receive the decision in May, you get the money backdated to 1 March. So do not wait until you have all the documents together – documents can be handed in later, the application date cannot.

Make a note of the date, the time and the name of the person you spoke to on the phone. For written applications, a recorded delivery (Einwurf-Einschreiben) or a confirmation by e-mail is helpful.

What deadlines apply to the Pflegekasse?

• The Pflegekasse must decide in writing within 25 working days of receiving the application (§ 18c SGB XI).
• If the Pflegekasse misses this deadline and is itself responsible for the delay, it pays 70 Euro for every week of delay that has begun.
• Shorter deadlines apply in hospital, in rehabilitation, in a hospice, or where care at home would otherwise not be assured – the assessment must then take place within a week.

What happens after the application?

1. The Pflegekasse sends you forms. Fill them in and send them back promptly.
2. The Medizinischer Dienst (MD – the medical service that assesses care needs) gets in touch to arrange an assessment appointment, usually at home. The appointment is announced in advance; you can move it if it does not suit.
3. After the appointment, the assessor draws up a Pflegegutachten (assessment report) with points in six areas of life.
4. The Pflegekasse decides on that basis and sends the written decision.

Already in the application, ask in writing for the full Pflegegutachten to be sent to you together with the decision. It costs nothing and is your right – and without the report you will not be able to check the decision later.

What does each Pflegegrad give you?

The most important monthly benefits (as at July 2026):

• Pflegegeld (when relatives provide the care): Pflegegrad 2: 347 €, Pflegegrad 3: 599 €, Pflegegrad 4: 800 €, Pflegegrad 5: 990 €. With Pflegegrad 1 there is no Pflegegeld.
• Pflegesachleistung (care benefits in kind – when an outpatient care service comes): Pflegegrad 2: 796 €, Pflegegrad 3: 1.497 €, Pflegegrad 4: 1.859 €, Pflegegrad 5: 2.299 €. Pflegegeld and Pflegesachleistung can be mixed as a Kombinationsleistung (combination benefit).
• Entlastungsbetrag: 131 € a month – already from Pflegegrad 1, earmarked for supervision, home help, neighbourhood help or Tagespflege (day care).
• Verhinderungspflege (respite care) and Kurzzeitpflege: since 1 July 2025 a joint annual amount of 3.539 €, freely divisible between the two benefits (from Pflegegrad 2).
• Pflegehilfsmittel zum Verbrauch (consumable care aids: gloves, bed pads, disinfectant): up to 42 € a month, from Pflegegrad 1.

These amounts are as at July 2026. No increase was agreed for 2026, so the figures are the same as those for 2025; the next adjustment is planned for 2028 at the earliest. For major decisions, always check the date under “Last checked”.

Common pitfalls

• Applying too late. Many families wait until the situation escalates. The application costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
• Underestimating Pflegegrad 1. Even Pflegegrad 1 brings 131 € Entlastungsbetrag, care aids, advice and grants towards adapting the home.
• Describing only the good day. What counts in the assessment is everyday life across the week – not the best moment.
• Not requesting the Pflegegutachten. Without the report an appeal is very hard to justify.

What to do?

1. Make the application – today. Ring the Pflegekasse (the number is on the health insurance card) or write informally. Make a note of the date.
2. Arrange advice. Care advice under § 7a SGB XI is your legal entitlement and free of charge. The Pflegestützpunkt (care support point) in your district advises independently and without ties to any provider.
3. Fill in the Pflegekasse's forms and send them back. If you are unsure: do not guess, ask.
4. Keep a Pflegetagebuch (care diary), for at least 14 days before the assessment appointment: what needs how much help, how often and for how long? At night as well.
5. Collect documents: doctors' letters, hospital reports, medication plan, list of aids and equipment, Schwerbehindertenausweis (severe disability pass), care service documentation.
6. Prepare for the assessment appointment. The person who actually provides the care should be there. You will find a checklist under Checklist: preparing well for the MD assessment.
7. Check the decision. Does the Pflegegrad match everyday life? If not: you have one month to lodge an appeal.

Where to find help

Pflegestützpunkte give advice free of charge, independently and without ties to any provider – on the telephone, in their office or at your home. Berlin has 36 Pflegestützpunkte, which provided around 115.000 consultations in 2023 (Landespflegeplan Berlin 2025). In Brandenburg there are Pflegestützpunkte in every district and every independent city.

• Addresses and opening hours in your district: Directory – filter there by the service type “Beratungsstelle / Pflegestützpunkt” (advice centre / care support point).
• Free care courses for relatives (§ 45 SGB XI) and information evenings on the application: Events.
• If care has only just begun: A sudden need for care – the first 7 steps.

This text does not replace personal advice – it is meant to make the way there easier for you.