Apply for compensation for victims of violence
It may consist of:
- Medical rehabilitation benefits
Examples: Payment of the costs of an inpatient stay in a hospital, orthopaedic aids, spa treatments, dentures, stress testing, occupational therapy - Benefits for participation in working life
in the case of permanent impairment of occupational activity - Benefits to compensate for the economic consequences
- Pensions for injured persons with individual benefits such as basic and compensatory pensions, compensation for occupational injuries
- Survivors' pensions with similar individual benefits
- Funeral and death benefits
The amount depends on the individual case.
Responsible department
the district administration office in whose district you or the surviving dependants have your residence or habitual abode
Details
Prerequisite
- You have been the victim of an intentional, unlawful assault such as robbery or rape, or you have lawfully repelled such an assault. Since June 2021, this also includes assaults through the use of a motor vehicle or a trailer.
- The attack took place in Germany.
- You have suffered damage to your health as a result.
- Foreigners have the same claims as Germans.
Notice: As a victim of violent acts committed outside the Federal Republic of Germany, you may receive limited benefits under certain conditions.
You are not entitled to compensation if
- You as the victim have caused the injury or
- it would be inequitable to award compensation for other reasons, especially due to your own conduct.
Procedure
You can make the request in writing or orally. The competent authority will clarify the facts on its own initiative. You are obliged to cooperate in the clarification.
The competent authority may
- Hear information persons and experts,
- Consult medical documents, records and similar documents from the respective institutions,
- Obtain expert opinions and official information, and
- Obtain documents or instruct the parties involved to submit or provide them.
After the examination has been completed, you will receive a decision in which the competent body explains whether and which benefits you will receive.
As a rule, you will receive benefits retroactively from the date of your application.
Deadlines
You can file the application at any time. If you file the application within one year of the violent act, you can also receive benefits for the period before the application was filed.
Required documents
- as a rule: none
Note: You can submit documents such as a criminal conviction or medical reports proving the violent act or your resulting state of health with the application or later.
Costs
none
Processing time
On average: eight months
It can be longer depending on the situation of the individual case. This is the case, for example, if the act of violence occurred many years ago and evidence is difficult to obtain or if the medical assessment is difficult.
Miscellaneous
none