The most common way to lose time here is trying to establish responsibility first. The law lifts that burden: you may file with the wrong body, and the two-week rule takes over. Understanding the split still helps, though, because it determines which documents you will be asked for.
Who pays: the pension insurer or the health insurer
Rehabilitation is funded either by Deutsche Rentenversicherung or by your health insurer, depending on the goal and your contribution record. You do not need to settle that before applying.
✓ Verified: 02/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
AUTHORITY
Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV)
Public bodyPension, account clarification and rehabilitation all run through the Deutsche Rentenversicherung — with in-person advice and online services (eService).
DOCUMENTS 2
› Details and tips
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Max recommends:
I spent a month working out who to write to, called both organisations and got different answers. Then I learned about the two-week rule: I should simply have filed with either, because forwarding it is their duty.
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Lea recommends:
Get your pension insurance record before applying. It answers the question about qualifying periods in a minute and removes half the doubt about who to approach.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I work out where to apply? ▾
You do not have to know precisely, and that is the greatest relief in this area. By law the body determines within two weeks of receiving the application whether it is responsible, and forwards the file itself if not. Choosing the wrong addressee costs you neither the deadline nor a fresh application.
How does health insurer rehabilitation differ from pension insurer rehabilitation? ▾
As a rough rule: the pension insurer is responsible where the aim is preserving or restoring the earning capacity of working people. The health insurer takes cases with a purely medical goal and no working-life dimension, for example for pensioners or people outside employment.
What contribution record does the pension insurer require? ▾
The law names two main routes: a completed qualifying period of fifteen years, or six calendar months of compulsory contributions in the two years before the application. Further variants exist, notably for people who recently finished training and started work.
When does the pension insurer not pay at all? ▾
The law lists exclusions separately. They include cases where another insurer can provide comparable services — after a workplace accident or occupational disease that is the Berufsgenossenschaft — as well as receipt of an old-age pension above a certain level.