Overview

• Statutory sick pay generally ends after 78 weeks for the same illness within a three‑year block, and when insurers “aussteuern,” access to benefits hinges on whether the Nahtlosigkeitsregelung is granted or the person is placed on regular unemployment benefits.
• If Nahtlosigkeit is denied, claimants receive standard ALG I without continuous sick status; a new incapacity triggers up to six weeks of ALG I continuation and may switch to Krankengeld only if a fresh entitlement exists.
• A genuinely new, independent diagnosis can start a new Krankengeld case, but a flare‑up of the old condition typically hits the still‑running block period, leaving only six weeks of ALG I continuation before a potential income and insurance gap.
• Older workers may bridge to retirement by combining up to 24 months of ALG I with up to 72 weeks of Krankengeld—about three and a half years in some cases—though health insurers scrutinize claims and careful sequencing and documentation are essential.
• When ALG I and Krankengeld lapse, maintaining coverage may require contributory family insurance via a GKV‑insured partner, voluntary statutory health insurance, or applying for Bürgergeld through the Jobcenter.