Social Security Institution (SGK) provides disability pensions to individuals undergoing treatment for serious illnesses, primarily cancer. Disability pensions granted due to illness begin after at least 12 months and continue throughout the treatment period. However, not every severe condition, such as diabetes in all cases, automatically qualifies for a disability pension.
Features of Disability Pension Awarding
Disability pensions are awarded by SGK to insured persons receiving treatment for serious diseases, notably cancer. Pensions granted on medical grounds start from a minimum of 12 months and continue for the duration of treatment. To be eligible, applicants generally must have been insured for at least 10 years and have paid a minimum of 1,800 days of premiums.
The Social Security Institution provides disability pensions to help cover treatment costs and compensate for loss of work capacity for insured people affected by severe, hard-to-treat illnesses such as cancer. Except for basal cell carcinoma, those treated for malignant tumors receive a disability pension supported by a medical board report covering an initial period of 18 months. For other conditions, such as certain cases of diabetes, the pension period may start at 12 or 24 months depending on the diagnosis and severity.
At the end of the initial period, continuation of the disability pension depends on the patient’s medical condition. For bone marrow transplants the pension is typically provided for 12 months; for blood cancers and tuberculosis it is commonly paid for 24 months. Transplants of organs other than bone marrow can also warrant a disability pension. In addition to cancer and transplants, conditions that prevent working—such as certain genetic disorders, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and epilepsy—are considered within the scope of disability pensions.
Which Diseases Are Covered by the Disability Pension?
The list of diseases qualifying for a disability pension is determined by SGK. These include, but are not limited to:
- Epilepsy
- Dementia
- Brain tumors
- Parkinson’s syndrome
- Cerebral palsy
- Multiple sclerosis
- Intellectual disabilities (IQ 50 and below)
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar disorder
- Severe visual impairment
- Retinal hemorrhages
- Hearing loss causing balance disorders
- Anemia
- Loss of limb (arm, leg)
- Behçet’s disease
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
- Liver cirrhosis
- Liver transplant
- Heart failure
- Valvular heart disease
- Heart transplant
- Kidney transplant
- Lung transplant
- Tuberculosis
- AIDS
- Cancer
These conditions may qualify an insured person for a disability pension, but applicants must meet specific requirements. Being an insured employee is a primary eligibility criterion because not everyone with a listed disease automatically receives the pension. Generally, applicants must have at least 10 years of insurance and a minimum of 1,800 days of premium payments. For individuals who have become dependent on another person’s care due to severe illness, the 10-year insurance requirement is waived, but the 1,800-day premium condition still applies.
Not Every Diabetes Patient Is Considered Disabled
Because diabetes is common and significant, many wonder whether every diabetes case qualifies for a disability pension. The answer is no: each disease, including diabetes, is evaluated individually. Diabetes patients are not automatically granted a pension. To qualify, the medical report must demonstrate chronic hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia causing significant complications—such as visual loss affecting at least three systems, or vascular hardening in the arteries supplying the arms and legs—that result in substantial impairment of work capacity.