German Minister of Health Carsten Linnemann is seeking to return the number of paid child sick leave days to pre-pandemic levels — lowering the allowance from 15 to 10 days per parent, FAZ reports. The publication outlines the minister’s intention rather than an adopted legislative change.
- According to FAZ, returning to the previous statutory limit on child sick days is under discussion.
- The reporting addresses a potential reduction from 15 to 10 days per parent.
- Neither a draft bill nor an effective date for any changes is provided in the article.
Reporting by the Publication
An opinion piece in FAZ notes that statutory child sick days (Kinderkrankentage) were increased from 10 to 15 during the pandemic, with the higher threshold subsequently extended multiple times. According to the outlet, Linnemann intends to reinstate the earlier baseline.
FAZ reports that Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Minister-President Manuela Schwesig opposes the proposed cut. The piece also cites figures from Thuringia’s Health Minister Katharina Schenk indicating that, on average, claims amounted to 2.5 paid days per reported case of illness. The exact observation period for this statistic was not specified in the text.
Status of the Proposal
The FAZ commentary contains neither legislative text nor a concrete implementation date for adjusting the allowance. The author argues that a reduction would disproportionately affect families whose children experience prolonged illnesses, representing an editorial assessment of the potential measure.