Guide · Reform 2027
Protected status 2027: who keeps their care level, and what is still cut
This guide is about the German statutory long-term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung). German terms are given in brackets so you can recognise them in letters from your care insurance fund (Pflegekasse).
- A granted care level is not to be lowered just because of the higher point thresholds.
- It can still be lowered if the person's condition actually improves.
- For new applications, the application date counts: if it arrives by 31 Dec 2026, the current rules apply.
- The protection does not cover all benefits: at care level 1 the relief amount is still to be abolished.
- Anyone applying for a higher care level from 2027 is assessed under the new, higher thresholds.
- A recognised care level is not to be lost solely because of the new thresholds.
- From 2027, benefits follow the new amounts, for example a care allowance of €380 a month at care level 2.
- At care level 1, the relief amount at home is still to end; there is to be no protected status for it.
- For planning: check which benefits apply to your care level from 2027. Benefits 2027
What protected status means
From 2027, more points are to be needed for care levels 1 to 3. So that people who are just above a threshold today do not lose their care level, the draft provides for protected status (Bestandsschutz). Anyone who has a care level on the cut-off date is to keep it according to the draft, even if they would be placed lower under the new thresholds.
An example: an assessment found 28 points, which is care level 2 today. Under the new rules, 30 points would be needed. According to the draft, care level 2 would be kept anyway.
When the protection ends
Protected status protects you from the new rules, not from a new assessment. If the person's health actually improves, for example after rehabilitation, the care insurance fund can lower the care level after a follow-up assessment.
Which benefits are still cut
- Care level 1: the level stays, but the relief amount of €131 a month (€1,572 a year) is to be abolished. The new local support budget only starts at care level 2.
- Consumable care supplies: the separate allowance of up to €42 a month is to be abolished for everyone. From care level 2, supplies are paid for out of the care allowance.
- Respite and short-term care: the annual amount of €3,539 is to be replaced by a bridging budget of €2,285.
Application already pending: which rules apply?
According to the draft, what counts is the day the application reaches the care insurance fund, not the day of the assessment. An application from 2026 is assessed under the current thresholds. Keep proof of receipt, such as a confirmation from the fund, a fax transmission report or a registered mail receipt (Einschreiben).
Applying for a higher care level from 2027
Anyone applying for a higher care level from 2027 is assessed under the new thresholds. Care level 3 would then need 50 instead of 47.5 points. If the need is only just above the old threshold, use the detailed mode of our calculator before applying to check whether the new threshold is reached. According to the draft, the existing care level is to be kept if the application is unsuccessful; how protected status applies in that case will only be settled by the law as passed.
Sources
- German Federal Ministry of Health: government draft of the care reform act (Pflegeneuordnungsgesetz, PNOG), 30 Sept 2026, Bundesrat document 587/26
- AOK legislation monitor (Gesetzesmonitor), PNOG timetable, as of 7 Oct 2026
- Section 15 SGB XI with Annexes 1 and 2 (current assessment system)
- Diakonie Deutschland: benefits of the long-term care insurance 2026
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to apply for protected status?
According to the draft, no application is needed. It applies to care levels granted before the law comes into force.
Can my care level still go down from 2027?
Only if the person's condition actually improves and a new assessment finds this, not just because of the new thresholds.
What happens to the relief amount at care level 1?
According to the government draft it is to be abolished. Protected status applies to the care level, not to this benefit.
My application is from December 2026 and the assessment is in February 2027. Which thresholds apply?
According to the draft, the current ones, because the application date counts.