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Applying for benefits in the event of damage to health as a result of service as a soldier in the German Armed Forces

If you have suffered a military service injury while serving in the Bundeswehr, you may be entitled to compensation. After leaving military service, pension benefits may be granted upon application.

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Procedure details

If, as a soldier, you have suffered a health impairment that is recognised as the result of a military service injury, you may receive benefits from the compensation scheme.

During military service, monthly compensation is paid depending on the degree of the consequences of the injury.
If a soldier dies as a result of a military service injury, the parents may receive a death grant if they were living in the same household as the person at the time of death and no creditable benefits were granted.

After leaving military service, care may be provided upon application.

The benefits may be paid in cash or in kind and include, depending on the degree of injury assessed:

  • non-income-related benefits such as basic pension, care allowance, severely disabled person's allowance and clothing allowance, and, where appropriate
  • income-related benefits such as compensatory pension, spouse's supplement and occupational injury compensation.

Benefits may also be payable to widows and widowers, surviving partners, orphans and orphans, and surviving parents if the soldier dies as a result of the military service injury.

In addition to the benefits already mentioned, you may also be entitled to:

  • medical treatment
  • payment of the costs of nursing care and institutional care as a result of your injury
  • orthopaedic care
  • welfare benefits (war victims' welfare)
  • death and burial benefits

These benefits begin at the earliest when you leave the Bundeswehr.

In addition, compensation may be paid for material damage to clothing or items normally carried in the event of an accident during military service.

If a recognised military service injury causes exceptional wear and tear to clothing or linen, a monthly lump sum will be paid. If blindness is recognised as a military service injury, a monthly amount will be paid for the maintenance of a guide dog and as an allowance for external guidance.

  • You must be or have been a soldier in the service of the Bundeswehr.
  • You must have suffered a health impairment which is the consequence of a military service injury, that is to say:
    • You have suffered an injury to health in your capacity as a soldier as a result of
      • a period of military service,
      • an accident occurring during military service, or
      • circumstances peculiar to military service.

  • Required Documents
    • If the application is submitted in writing: birth certificate or civil status data confirmed by a Bundeswehr office.
    • If the application is submitted in person: identity card or passport.
    • Certificate of military service
    • Military medical certificate as well as all documents available for this medical condition, e.g. expert reports or findings.

  • In the case of active soldiers, the procedure is usually initiated by the military doctor via a so-called military service injury sheet, who is first informed of the injury or illness.
  • The Federal Office of Armed Forces Personnel Management then initiates investigations ex officio and provides information on the further progress of the procedure.
  • If, because you have left the Bundeswehr, a military service injury does not become apparent until after the end of your military service, you must file an application. You must also always apply for any other post-deployment benefits.
  • Download the appropriate application form from the Bundeswehr website.
  • Print out the application, sign it and enclose all the necessary documents. You can find out which documents you need on the application form.
  • Send your application to the address indicated on the form.
  • The Federal Office of Personnel Management of the German Armed Forces will examine your application and will make further inquiries and inform you about the further procedure.

You don't have to pay anything.

For continuous benefits, you must file your application within 1 year after your military service ends; applications filed later will be approved as of the 1st of the month of application.

In about two thirds of the procedures, a decision is taken on the application within 1 year.

  • For male and female soldiers in a military service relationship, an appeal procedure is conducted in accordance with the Code of Military Appeals (WBO).
  • An appeal procedure is conducted for former servicemen and women or their surviving dependents.
  • Complaint procedure

Status: 09.03.2025
Editorial responsibility Bundesministerium der Verteidigung