Overview
- The coalition committee agreed on July 1 to require an official medical certificate (AU) from the first day of illness as part of a broader reform package.
- The proposal would end pandemic-era telephone sick notes but preserve sick notes issued by video consultation.
- The rule rests on the Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz, which covers employees only, so civil servants (Beamte) could remain exempt unless Bund and Länder adapt beamtenrechtliche rules.
- Medical associations warn the change would push millions more patients into GP practices and overload surgeries, while unions and the Deutscher Beamtenbund call the move a sign of mistrust and point to unfair treatment in sectors where employees and Beamte work side-by-side.
- The bill will be negotiated after the summer recess, could take effect at the earliest next year, and includes a separate partial‑sick‑note reform planned for 2028 that aims to allow reduced or staged return-to-work arrangements.