Overview

• KBV chair Andreas Gassen proposes making medical certificates obligatory only from illness day four or five.
• Citing roughly 116 million sick notes a year, with just over a third lasting three days or less, the KBV estimates savings of about €100 million.
• Current rules require a certificate after three calendar days, though employers are allowed to request one earlier.
• The employer federation BDA rejects a blanket extension of the uncertified period, warning it would burden companies without addressing structural issues.
• Political reporting suggests Health Minister Nina Warken is unlikely to adopt the proposal in near-term savings plans.