Accompanying help in working life

Carrying out accompanying assistance in working life is one of the main tasks of the integration office in order to ensure the participation of severely disabled people in working life ( Section 185 (1) SGB IX). The Accompanying help to act as meaning that the severely disabled people

do not decline in their social position,
be employed in jobs where they can fully utilize and develop their skills and knowledge,
through the services of rehabilitation providers and measures by employers are enabled to assert themselves in the workplace and in competition with non-disabled people.

The accompanying help in working life includes financial benefits and professional advice for severely disabled people and their employers. It also includes the necessary psychosocial care for severely disabled people through specialist integration services. The integration office should also influence that difficulties in employment are prevented or eliminated.

Regardless of whether medical and occupational rehabilitation measures were preceded, the accompanying help in working life includes all measures and services that are required to ensure that severely disabled people participate in working life and thus in society and to avoid dismissals.

Benefits for severely disabled people

The following examples of help can be considered:

Personal help: Advice and support in all questions of working life, in particular in the event of personal difficulties, problems at the workplace, questions in connection with the severe disability, in conflicts with colleagues, superiors and the employer, in case of endangerment of the workplace up to psychosocial support, to resolve serious conflicts
Financial benefits: Technical work aids, assistance in getting to work, benefits for economic independence, housing assistance for the procurement, furnishing and maintenance of an apartment that meets the special needs of the severely disabled person, benefits for maintaining the workforce, benefits for participating in measures to maintain and Expansion of professional knowledge and skills, help in special life situations, supported employment and a necessary job assistance .

Benefits to the employer

Advice on the selection of a suitable job for severely handicapped people, on the design of workplaces suitable for disabilities, on all questions in connection with the employment of severely handicapped people, psychosocial advice on the elimination of special problems
Financial benefits for the creation of new and disability-friendly facilities and the design of existing jobs for severely disabled employees, benefits in the event of extraordinary stresses associated with the employment of severely disabled people who are particularly affected ( Section 27 of the Disabled Compensation Tax Ordinance)
Subsidies for fees for vocational training for severely disabled adolescents and young adults up to the age of 25 who are particularly affected
Bonuses and grants for the cost of vocational training for young people with disabilities, if they are treated as equivalent for the duration of the training through a statement from the Employment Agency or a decision on benefits for participation in working life
Bonuses for the introduction of a company integration management .

Support of the operational integration team

The representatives of the severely disabled , the employer's inclusion officer and the works council or staff council are supported by:

Education and information offers
Advice in individual cases
Advice on drawing up an inclusion agreement
Advice on the introduction of company integration management
Help to resolve conflicts

Services for free non-profit institutions and organizations

Corresponding institutions can, for example, be involved in the psychosocial care of severely disabled people as providers of an integration service and receive financial benefits in return.

Continuity of advice and support

The accompanying help in working life begins in the preliminary phase of a hiring and is intended to accompany severely disabled people throughout their working life. The integration office should always be available as a contact person for severely disabled people, employers and the integration team.

Difficult disability-specific, technical, organizational problems often have to be solved. The integration offices have therefore set up special specialist services.

Responsibility of the integration office and the rehabilitation provider

The personal and financial benefits supplement the benefits of the rehabilitation provider, which is geared to the special, individual requirements of the workplace and the special needs of the disabled person. In the case of financial benefits for participation in working life, it may initially be unclear in individual cases whether the integration office or a rehabilitation provider is responsible. In this case, the clarification of jurisdiction in § 14 and § 15 SGB IX regulates how to proceed.

The integration office has the option of provisionally providing services if the immediate provision of the service is required ( Section 185 (7) sentence 3). The regulation on the reimbursement of self-procured services ( § 18 SGB IX) does not apply to the integration office. An increase in the services of the rehabilitation provider through services of the integration office in the context of accompanying help in working life is not permitted (increase ban).

literature

Federal working group of integration offices and main welfare offices (ed.): ABC Fachlexikon. Employment of severely disabled people. 6th revised edition, Cologne 2018.

Web links

www.integrationsaemter.de Internet presence of the federal working group of integration offices and main welfare offices