Overview
- The Social Court ruled that the Jobcenter’s blanket requirement for a special bedridden or travel-inability certificate is impermissible and criticized misleading invitation wording.
- In the tested case, a 10% reduction was unlawful because the agency relied on §32 instead of §31 SGB II and failed to issue the stricter warning that provision requires.
- The panel affirmed that an ordinary Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung generally excuses a missed Jobcenter appointment.
- Paper sick notes must still reach the Jobcenter by the fourth calendar day, with staged benefit cuts possible for breaches of reporting or proof duties.
- Jobcenters may order an MDK examination under §275 SGB V when concrete doubts arise, while nationwide legal clarity awaits possible higher-court review.