German Bundestag, Communication from 05.06.2023
The BTHG (Federal Participation Act) was passed in 2016 and came into force in four stages, starting on December 30, 2016 (stage 1) and ending on January 1, 2023 (stage 4).
The aim of the law is to enable social participation and self-determination for people with disabilities in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Among other things, the reform of integration assistance as of January 1, 2020, is intended to provide people with disabilities with individualized support and to increase the income and asset limits when receiving benefits.
Almost six years after the adoption of the BTHG, the intended further development of integration assistance has not yet been fully implemented in practice. At this point in time, the federal government cannot yet conclusively say whether the goals of the Federal Participation Act (BTHG) can be fully achieved.
This is in response (20/6935) to a minor question (20/6690) from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. Due to the consequences of the pandemic and the overall delay in the implementation of the BTHG, integration assistance has not yet been further developed in the way envisaged by the law. However, the federal government does not currently see any “fundamental need for action with regard to changes in the law on integration assistance”.
In order to continue to accompany the implementation of the reform, the corresponding projects of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, such as the “Impact Forecast” or the “Implementation Support”, had been extended. The cooperation of the state-federal working group would also be continued. In principle, the implementation of the BTHG is the responsibility of the states, writes the federal government.
Source: German Bundestag, hib-No. 410/2023