Good news: the German parliament, known as the Bundestag, passed a law on May 19 to pay a bonus for nursing staff in hospitals and care facilities. It is about 500 million euros each, which will be made available for hospitals as well as care facilities. These will then be paid to the nursing staff. These funds and thus the bonus should get:

Hospitals that in 2021 had to treat a particularly large number of patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus who required ventilation. Hospitals will pass on the bonus to nurse specialists in direct patient care on bedside wards and intensive care specialists and have worked there for more than six months. Intensive care specialists receive a 1.5 times higher bonus compared to regular specialists.

In the elderly or long-term care sector, certain employers are required to pay their caregivers in the second half of 2022, a care bonus for the special services and burdens in this pandemic.

All employees who worked in such a long-term care facility for at least three months between November 2020 and June 30, 2022, and who are still employed and working on June 30, 2022, will receive a tax- and social security-free bonus (scaled by proximity to care, qualifications, scope).

Full-time employees in direct care and nursing will receive the highest bonus of up to 550 euros.