Criticism of widow's benefit: Couple from Kassel calls for change in the law

Criticism of widow's benefit: Couple from Kassel calls for change in the law

A teacher couple from the Kassel region, Klaus Michel (79) and Ursula Olbert (69), criticize the existing regulations on widow's benefits because Ursula will not receive appropriate benefits due to her late marriage. After nine years of marriage, they remember their wedding, where they did not consider that the late marriage could have an impact on their retirement provision. According to the guidelines, Hessian civil servant widows or widowers only receive widow's benefit if the marriage took place before retirement and before reaching the standard retirement age.

Hans Michel describes the current law as outdated and no longer up to date, as the classic marriage of care has become rare and people often marry at an advanced age, mostly for love and not for financial reasons. He emphasizes that they are certainly financially secure, but many others are severely affected by this regulation and reforms are needed.

A similar case also concerns Monika Diegler from Kassel, who receives a significantly lower maintenance contribution instead of the usual widow's allowance. This is because when calculating the maintenance contribution, earned income and replacement income are taken into account more than with regular widow's benefits. Monika is entitled to only 150 euros in support due to a disability pension of 1,250 euros per month.

Monika Diegler sent a petition to the Hessian state parliament in 2023 to get the law changed. Hans Michel wants to support her in her efforts and jokes that he plans to live as long as possible to prevent Ursula from experiencing the loss of care. The Kassel regional council, which processes widow's benefit applications, refers to the policy and emphasizes that it is not its responsibility to evaluate the laws, but only to apply them to specific cases.