Asylum Seekers; Applying for Benefits in Case of Illness

Under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act (AsylbLG), recipients of basic benefits are provided with the necessary medical and dental treatment in cases of acute illnesses and pain, including the supply of medications and bandages, as well as other services necessary for recovery, improvement, or the alleviation of illnesses and their consequences. For the prevention and early detection of illnesses, the vaccinations recommended by the Standing Committee on Vaccination and medically necessary preventive examinations are also provided.

In addition, other treatments may be covered in individual cases if they are essential to safeguarding health.

Eligible persons under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act (AsylbLG) generally have access to the general medical care system. They generally have the right to choose their own doctor. To this end, they receive a treatment voucher from the responsible local agency each quarter, which they can use to visit private practitioners.

In the ANKER facilities, where asylum seekers are housed immediately upon arrival, the Free State of Bavaria has established so-called medical centers to provide curative care on-site on a low-threshold basis. In addition to general medical care, these medical centers typically also cover the fields of gynecology, pediatrics, and, in some cases, psychiatry or psychotherapy.

If asylum seekers have been residing in Germany for 36 months without a significant interruption and have not themselves influenced the duration of their stay in a manner constituting an abuse of the law, they receive the same medical benefits as those covered by statutory health insurance; however, they are generally not members of statutory health insurance plans.