Veterinary fee regulations
| Basic data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Fee schedule for veterinarians |
| Short title: | Veterinary fee regulations |
| Abbreviation: | GOT |
| Type: | Federal Ordinance |
| Scope: | Federal Republic of Germany |
| Issued on the basis of: | Section 12 of the Federal Veterinary Regulations |
| Legal matter: | Administrative law , veterinary law |
| References : | 7830-1-4 |
| Original version from: | November 30, 1940 ( RMBl. Pp. 507, 523) |
| Entry into force on: | December 1, 1940 |
| Last revision from: | July 28, 1999 ( BGBl. I p. 1691 ) |
| Entry into force of the new version on: |
August 1, 1999 |
| Last change by: |
Art. 1 VO of February 10, 2020 ( Federal Law Gazette I p. 158 ) |
| Effective date of the last change: |
February 14, 2020 (Art. 2 of February 10, 2020) |
| Weblink: | Text of the order |
| Please note the note on the applicable legal version. | |
The veterinary fee regulation (GOT) regulates the remuneration veterinarians are entitled to for their services ( § 1 GOT). The last content adjustment of the GOT took place in 1999. On July 8, 2008 and July 27, 2017, only the fees to adjust to economic developments were increased by 12% each. The fundamental renewal of the GOT, with the deletion of obsolete and the addition of new diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, as developed in over 700 working hours and unanimously accepted by the delegates' assembly of the Federal Veterinary Chamber in 2012, was not implemented by the legislature. In addition, the two increases do not cover the general increases in costs during this period.
On the one hand, the GOT serves to protect consumers , here animal keepers (owners), from overpriced billing, and on the other hand, it is intended to prevent the quality of the treatment from being endangered by aggressive price competition. Falling below the fee rates is only permitted for neutering cats living in the wild.
The GOT sets the fee framework from a minimum of one to a maximum of three times the rate, which can only be left under very special circumstances. The amount of the fee moves (§ 2) "taking into account the special circumstances of the individual case" (e.g. unruly animal, night, weekend), "in particular the difficulty of the services, the time required, the value of the animal and the local conditions reasonable discretion in the above Limits ". Furthermore, the veterinarian is entitled to compensation (e.g. travel expenses), cash expenses (e.g. postage) as well as remuneration for medication (according to the drug price regulation ) and consumables.
The GOT is divided into basic services (e.g. general examination and advice), special services (e.g. certificates, laboratory tests, X-ray examinations, injections) and services relating to individual organ systems (respiratory system, eyes, musculoskeletal system, etc.).
If there is animal health insurance, the payer will be reimbursed the expenses for the veterinary services required by the insurer to the extent specified in the tariff.
Web links
- Fee schedule for veterinarians valid from July 27, 2017 (PDF 625 KB)
- Explanations for pet owners on the 2017 fee increase Link to download on the website of the Federal Veterinary Association
- The fee schedule for veterinarians in the Federal Republic of Germany. Annex: List of fees vetvita.de, accessed on September 6, 2019
