Applying for benefits within the scope of social compensation
Social compensation helps people who have suffered damage to their health as a result of a harmful event for which the state community bears particular responsibility to deal with the resulting consequences.
Responsible authority
The pension office in the district office of your place of residence
Contact
Details
Prerequisite
If you have suffered damage to your health as a result of an act of violence, the effects of the Second World War, in connection with the performance of civilian service or a certain vaccination, you can receive social compensation benefits under certain conditions . Social compensation helps people who have been victims of harmful events to cope with the resulting health and economic consequences.
Procedure
After receiving the application, the pension office checks whether a damaging event within the meaning of the Social Compensation Act ( Fourteenth Book of the Social Code - SGB XIV ) has occurred. If this is the case, the health consequences will be assessed on the basis of medical findings and, if necessary, subsequently evaluated by a medical causality report. You will then receive a favourable or unfavourable administrative decision. In the event of a favourable decision, further benefits may be considered following an examination of your financial circumstances.
Deadlines
None
If you submit an application within one year of the date of the injury, you can receive benefits from the date of the injury if the eligibility criteria are met. If you apply later, benefits can be granted from the month of application at the earliest.
Required documents
In the social administration procedure, there is the so-called principle of official investigation, i.e. the pension office initiates its own procedure to determine the essential circumstances for examining your claim. In this procedure, the pension office will consult documents from other bodies (for example, your treating doctors), provided you have released these bodies from their duty of confidentiality. You can support and speed up your procedure by providing the pension office with these documents yourself. These can be Proof of the violent offence (for example police reports, court decisions), medical documents relating to the damage to your health (medical certificates, evidence, attestations, reports). In the case of vaccinations: Proof of your vaccination and of the vaccination damage you have claimed.
Costs
None
Miscellaneous
You can make use of the rapid assistance services even before you are recognised. These are sessions in a trauma outpatient clinic and case management services provided by your benefits office. For further information, please contact the pension office in the district office of your place of residence.
Legal basis
Sozialgesetzbuch Vierzehntes Buch - Soziale Entschädigung (Vierzehntes Buch Sozialgesetzbuch - SGB XIV):
- 4 Anspruch auf Leistungen für Geschädigte
- § 6 Anspruch auf Leistungen für Angehörige, Hinterbliebene und Nahestehende
Release note
Machine generated, based on the German release by: Sozialministerium Baden-Württemberg, 24.10.2025